Vale DRS Banks and Copeman

Abstract

The two papers on echinococcosis in this issue describe part of the work of Dr David Banks during his PhD at James Cook University from 1981 to 1984, under the supervision of Associate Professor Bruce Copeman. Both men died recently, David in a plane crash at Lockhart River in 2005 and Bruce from multiple myeloma in 2006. David's early death led Bruce to finalise and submit their draft manuscripts for publication. Their work together during David's PhD along with the work of Dr Chris Baldock was instrumental in determining the epidemiology of echinococcosis in cattle in Australia. Researchers in this field have known of their work and have referred to it in their publications (see Jenkins et al. 2005, International Journal of Parasitology, volume 35, pages 1205–1219). David and Bruce were prevented from publishing these papers earlier due to the enormous workloads in their careers, which they appeared to accept with good humour. They were talented individuals whose skills and expertise were always in demand. David became the principal scientist of Biosecurity Australia and devoted much of his life to eradicating and preventing the spread of important animal diseases. Bruce was one of the key teaching and research parasitologists in the tropics for over 30 years. He supervised 52 postgraduate students including David, many of whom became senior scientists within their respective countries. Both David and Bruce were blessed with immense enthusiasm for their work, a quality they imparted to others. They were kind, considerate and thoughtful, the very best sort of people to be around. Between them they achieved a great deal and have been honoured with a number of awards such as the Kesteven Medal and the Order of Australia. Both men are already commemorated by their peers in two public lectures; the David Banks Memorial Lecture sponsored by the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre, which is given each year in memory of David's contribution to the control of emerging infectious diseases, and the annual Bruce Copeman Oration sponsored by the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine (ACTM). The latter helps illustrate the breadth of Bruce's interests and enthusiasm. Bruce was one of a small group of 10 that founded the ACTM in Townsville in 1991. The fact that these two papers are now published also illustrates Bruce's amazing approach to life and death. When he realised that the myeloma would win in the end, Bruce retired from the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Science, but used the ‘free’ time to come in to work almost on a daily basis to finalise a lifetime of doctoral student publications. Bruce's last years have been some of his most productive, submitting 21 manuscripts for publication. Both scientists will be sadly missed.