Obituaries
Richard (Dick) Smallwood AO (TC 1955)
1937 – 2024
Clinician, educator and researcher Dick Smallwood was a Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne, where he headed up the Department of Medicine. He had followed in the footsteps of his mother, Margaret, who had been a doctor with the Malayan Medical Service.
Dick served as Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and Australian Medical Council, and Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the National Blood Authority and the Division of Medicine at the Austin hospital, where he was Director of Gastroenterology. He was also a board director of the Snowdome Foundation, board member of the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia and a member of the Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Council. In 1997, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to medicine, particularly in the field of gastroenterology, to research through the NHMRC and to education.
In 1964, Dick married Carol (née Taggart) and together they had three children – David, Penelope and Michael. Dick was known as a great cricketer and topped the batting averages for Melbourne University. He also played for Trinity’s cricket team, which won five out of six cricket premierships during Dick’s time at College. (He once described the losing match against Ormond as ‘the greatest upset in the history of college sport’.)
Dick was named a Fellow of Trinity College in 2005 and Senior Fellow in 2020. A memorial service commemorating Dick’s life was held in the Trinity College Chapel.
Sir Roderick (Rod) Carnegie AC (TC 1951)
1932 – 2024
Rod Carnegie was known as an exceptional businessman with a lateral-thinking mind. Rod studied science at the University of Melbourne, then a Master of Arts and Diploma of Agricultural Economics at Oxford University, and an MBA at Harvard University. He became a management consultant with McKinsey in New York then set up McKinsey’s office in Australia, securing global miner Rio Tinto as one of his first clients. He was appointed Finance Director of Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (CRA) in 1970, moving up to the roles of CEO and Chairman. CRA grew to become Australia’s biggest mining company.
Rod served as Chair of Hudson Conway and President of the Business Council of Australia. He was a director of ANZ, John Fairfax Holdings, CSIRO, Lexmark International and the Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research, and was a founding member of the General Motors Australian Advisory Council.
He married Carmen (née Clarke) and they had three sons – Mark (TC 1980), Charles and James.
Rod was awarded a knighthood in 1978 and a Centenary Medal in 2001 and was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2003 for service to the promotion of innovative leadership and to the development of competitive practices in business, both national and international, and to the community, particularly in the fields of health and the arts.
Rod was named a Fellow of Trinity College in 1980 and Senior Fellow in 2011. In 2009, artist Peter Neilson was commissioned by Trinity College to paint a portrait of Rod, which was hung in the Dining Hall.
Dr John (Jack) Best AO (TC 1958)
1939 – 2024
Jack had a prominent career in medicine, most notably as Deputy Secretary-General of the Australian Medical Association and President of the International Society for Quality in Health Care. He was also Director of Medical Services for five rural health services and was Chair of the NHMRC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Agenda Working Group, as well as the Australian Institute of Political Science and the Alpine Health Credentialing and Privileging Committee.
Jack played a key role in the development of the national network of University Departments of Rural Health and Rural Clinical Schools in Australia. He established Diagnosis Pty Ltd in 1984
He was named a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 1998 and, in 2007, was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to medicine and to public health through support for strategic health research and policy development, and as a contributor to the development of rural and remote health services and medical education programs, particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities and regional Victoria.
Jack was named Bill Cowan Alum of the Year in 2014 for his lifelong commitment to the medical field, his work as Director of Clinical Training for the Murray to Mountains (M2M) intern training program, and – along with his wife, Janine Sargeant AM – their philanthropic contributions to the College and elsewhere.
Jack had two sons, Paul and Marcus (TC 1985), and was posthumously made a Fellow of Trinity College in 2024. A memorial service for Jack was held in the Trinity College Chapel.
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