Vale Sydney Lorrimar Kirkby AO MBE 1933 to 2024
Surveyor, Explorer, Map-maker, Adventurer.
Sydney (Syd) Kirkby’s life has been celebrated around Australia by so many people in so many circles. Some knew him from his early years, while others knew him as the inspirational surveyor who helped establish the first permanent base in Australian Antarctica, Mawson Station. Some knew him from his leadership in later Antarctic Expeditions, others from his technical achievements in mapping Australia through aerial photography, and by digitising these complex drawings into topographic maps. Only a few knew the more private Syd, of his life with Jude Lang, his wife for more than forty years, of his ongoing work to preserve and promote Antarctica, and of his commitment to the environment, community and family. The ‘Celebration of Syd Kirkby’s Life’ at the Kureelpa/Dulong Hall brought all these fragments together and, perhaps for the first time, Syd Kirkby, the complete man, was finally revealed.
At an early age, Syd suffered from polio and, in a very positive way, this battle defined the man he was to become. When diagnosed that he would never walk again, with the help of his Dad, Syd challenged this sentence. Once rid of callipers, he learnt to walk again, then to run, then to play football (AFL), and to box. He also became in involved in acting and debating. His attitude in meeting these challenges became the mantra for the rest of his life: ‘Find Your Frontier.’
FIRST EXPEDITION
In 1956, Syd was eligible to join the boxing team at the Melbourne Olympics. Instead, he applied to join an Australian expedition as surveyor at Mawson Station in Australian Antarctica Territory. He was twenty-two with three years’ experience as a cadet surveyor applying for a position advertised for an experienced surveyor at least 28 years old, the minimum age to join the expedition. He had to pass a strict medical, and despite a permanent limp, Syd’s application was accepted; and Syd began his life-long passion for this unknown, unmapped, frozen continent. Syd often reflected that Antarctica was God’s gift to him and shaped the rest of his life.
Many expeditions later, Syd became leader of the 1980/81 expedition to survey and renew Australia’s management of its Antarctic Territory. The members of that expedition gave him a nickname; The Godfather. When they talk about The Godfather, they remember him as a mentor and role-model, someone that they admired, looked up to, and had a deep affection for; and a leader they respected, at times feared, but whose authority they accepted, to direct and, if necessary, discipline them. Syd talked to them about the rich tapestry of life and challenged them to find their own frontier. As Godfather, Syd was the epitome of a true leader.
His time with National Mapping demonstrated that these leadership qualities were at the fore as he helped that organisation meet the challenges of aerial photography surveying and later, the digitisation of map-making. At the same time, Syd became increasingly concerned about the direction the government was taking in how it executed its responsibility for managing scientific research in Australian Antarctica. One issue that he personally and vehemently opposed was the replacement of dog-team drawn sledges with motorised ones on supposed environmental grounds. Syd had formed a close bond with the dog teams he relied on in those early years and two photographs highlighted his concern. One showed the quick retrieval of a dog team that had fallen into a crevasse. The other documented the five-day ordeal of pulling a motorised sled out of a crevasse. His question was, which had less impact on the Antarctic Environment?
ACTIVE RETIREMENT
After eight years holding senior administrative positions, Syd retired in 1984 and moved to Brisbane in 1985 to be with his partner, Jude Lang whom he married in 1987 in Perth. When Jude retired in 1992, they bought a block in Flaxton and rented a house in Montville while their pole-platform house was built. By 1994 they had moved into their new home at the end of Rosewood Rise overlooking Kondalilla National Park. Although his focus was now on creating a green environment for their new home, they became involved in their new community, joining the Mapleton Gym and other local groups, remaining members and supporters for over twenty years.
Syd became an executive member of The ANARE Club and supported its continuing battle for ongoing scientific research rather than a preoccupation with buildings on the Australian Antarctic Territory. Along with his opposition to discontinue using the dog teams that had been so critical in the early expeditions that opened up the territory, he also questioned the need for and design of a proposed all-weather airstrip when the reality of Antarctic weather mocked such a concept. Ever the scientist, Syd looked for scientific rather than political rationale.
At home on the Range, he became involved in local issues; opposing the proposed closure of Phillips Road, one of only four roads off the Blackall Range, as ill-considered; and supporting the designation of Iconic Status for the Blackall Range to better protect its environment against commercial development. As a prolific and very effective letter writer, Syd became a spokesman for many. He vehemently opposed the proposed Links country club/golf course development mooted for Montville in the early 2000s. He also queried the viability of a proposed Mapleton Retirement Village that was crowded on a small block with insufficient and inadequate infrastructure.
In 2003, Syd joined the Montville Village Association (MVA) and served on its executive until 2007. Then in 2009, with the association suffering from internal divisions and a loss of community support, he agreed to step in as President. This was a difficult year for Syd. His mobility was becoming restricted and his need for hearing aids made chairing meetings challenging. However, his tenure gave the community the opportunity to begin the rebuilding process for the association.
With seven different, and very prestigious awards, Syd is one of the most recognised men of his generation. He has been acknowledged as an explorer, adventurer and surveyor who mapped Antarctica, who had mountains and glaciers named after him; as a map-maker and administrator who steered mapping Australia into the digital age; and as a steward of the ANARE Club that celebrates and over-views Australia’s continuing presence in Antarctica. His old Perth school, Hale, honoured him with a play of his life titled, ‘Dancing with a Dream’. However, Jude reminds us that Syd was a man, a husband and father with all the trials and tribulations associated with that. She also commented that his love for his sledge dogs led to his always having one of ‘man’s best friends’ by his side.
Syd Kirkby served his nation and his community very well indeed. He lived a big life that has enriched so many and his final message to us is universal, “Find Your Frontier”.
Vale Syd Kirkby. May you yet have more frontiers to cross!
Doug Patterson
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