Richard was born and bred a Queenslander and was always proud of his heritage. Schooled at Brisbane Grammar he graduated MBBS from the University of Queensland in 1968, having been involved in many aspects of collegial life. During this University and College days he met his lifetime partner Dottie whom he married in 1969. Having graduated, he then began a long professional association with Royal Brisbane Hospital initially as intern and resident medical officer. Richard deferred his specialist training to serve his country, performing National Service in the Army Medical Corps 1970-71. His secondment as Medical Superintendent at Longreach in far western Queensland (1972-74) was characterised by the commitment to patient care that was to become his trademark. The lasting impression he made was demonstrated by the fact that when he left, he was carried to the plane by the townsfolk. On his death, people from Longreach travelled all the way to Brisbane to attend his memorial service.

He returned to “the Royal” in 1975 where he was initially medical registrar, then neurology registrar and subsequently pathology registrar and senior medical registrar. His passion for patient care pervaded this phase of his career. It has been said that many a fellow registrar would become not a little irritated by his inquiries, often at 9.00pm, about the patient in bed such-and-such’s medication list and “wouldn’t he be better on so and so”, or “have you thought of this aspect of their family life”.

In 1979 Richard was admitted to Fellowship of the RACP and he travelled to Scotland to take up a post as Honorary Consultant in General Medicine at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh for a year. In 1980 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and travelled across the Atlantic to become Clinical Fellow in Infectious Diseases at the Peter Brent Brigham Hospital & Harvard Medical School in Boston where he developed a firm and ongoing friendship with his mentor Mort Schwartz.

On his second return to “the Royal” he was appointed Staff Physician and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, and in 1986 he was appointed Director of the Infectious Diseases Unit, a position he held till his death in 1995. As Clinical Associate Professor he was teacher and mentor for many, and his teaching skills were recognised by his receipt of the Walters Prize for clinical teaching from the University of Queensland.

Richard was a leader in the discipline of Infectious Diseases in this country and was a member of many learned societies including the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases in which he has served as Councillor, Vice-President and President, the Australian Society for Microbiology, the British Society for the Study of Infection, the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, the American Society for Microbiology, and the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine. Within the College, Richard was involved in the Specialist Advisory Committee for Infectious Diseases, the Queensland State Committee, the Committee for Examinations, and the Scientific Program Sub-committee for the Annual Scientific Meetings.

In the field of HIV Medicine Richard’s light shone brightly. He was well known to all those involved in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this country, and his vision, even-handed approach, and ability to see the ‘broad-brush’ view enabled him to stand on equal footing with researchers, clinicians, carers, and positive people alike. At a state level, Richard advised the government of the day regarding issues of care, funding, anti-discrimination, and education concerning HIV/AIDS. He developed A Doctor’s Notebook on HIV/AIDS” (Brisbane, Govt.Pr 1989) – a manual for primary care providers that was distributed to all Queensland medical practitioners as one of the early government sponsored educational initiatives in this country. He travelled the length and breadth of the state and country educating people from all walks of life and many different occupations about this infection and fostering a compassionate, non-judgmental and reasoned approach to the epidemic.

Nationally, Richard served as chairman of the Clinical Trials and Treatments Advisory Committee providing advice to the Commonwealth and the National Centre for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. In this capacity he sat on the Australian National Council on AIDS. When vaccine research in this country appeared to be foundering he held workshops around the country to allow all the voices to be heard and arguments answered. His involvement in HIV/AIDS was recognised by his admission to membership of the Order of Australia.

In what must be the ultimate irony Richard died of the infection which he spent so much time and energy fighting - HIV/AIDS. Throughout his illness he learnt and tried to educate. On ward rounds he would emphasise the apparently minor discomforts of patients which he knew only too well were major in their lives. He attempted to impart to anyone who would listen to the lessons only personal experience can teach, and despite his own impending mortality he would sit with, and comfort those who suffered.

Richard’s legacy will be a cohort of health professionals who are more able, and more caring than they otherwise would have been, and a community better able to understand and respond to this disease and hopefully those to come.