Abstract I first heard about IUPAC in 1972 in undergraduate organic (nomenclature) lectures; I already knew about the Periodic Table from high school days, but I did not make the connection between this chemistry and the organisation named IUPAC until much later. In 1996, I became involved in planning for Australia to bid for a General Assembly (GA)/World Chemistry Congress (WCC); ultimately the bid was successful, and the meeting was held in my home city of Brisbane in July 2001. In the way, I learnt much about the various component parts of IUPAC while the Executive Secretary role, which I held for a trio of combined meetings including an Asian Chemistry Congress plus an Asian Federation of Medicinal Chemistry meeting, brought me into contact with the IUPAC leadership. I also interacted with Titular Members, many volunteers, as well as key movers and shakers within the chemistry field. And I got to know our wonderful current IUPAC staff members Fabienne Meyers and Enid Weatherwax.