Queensland and Australia have lost one of their brightest forest and natural resource scientists, educators and administrators with the passing of Professor James Russell McWilliam, AO, who has died aged 97.
After four years at Toowoomba Grammar School, Jim was awarded a Queensland Forestry Cadetship and attended the University of Queensland and the Australian Forestry School in Canberra. His fellow Queensland cadets were Syd Curtis, Peter Hawkins, Neil Henry, Bob Nielsen, John O’Connor and Mal Wilson.
Professor McWilliam graduated BSc For (Hons) in 1951 and co-shared the Schlich Medal for that cohort of 38 students.
As the first geneticist with the Queensland Forestry Department, he was associated with the beginnings of the ultra-successful tree breeding programs for Pinus and Araucaria plantations. He was awarded a Rotary International Fellowship and Fulbright Fellowship to the Duke University in the USA graduating with a Masters in Forestry in 1954.
At the request of the Department while in the United States, Jim made a trip through British Honduras and the Republic of Honduras to examine the natural stands of Caribbean pine. His favourable report (Research Note No 4) resulted in increased plantings of this tropical pine. A Research Fellowship to Yale University followed and he completed a PhD in 1958. On his return he took up a research scientist position at CSIRO (Division of Plant Industry) in Canberra.
Jim was appointed as Professor of Soil Science and Agronomy at University of New England in Armidale in 1971and thus began his long involvement in international agricultural research. Over the next 20 years he served on the boards of six of the major International agricultural research centres working with the major food crops of the developing world. In 1982 he became the first director of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) undertaking collaborative agricultural research, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Jim ‘retired’ in 1990 and spent three years as chairman of Grape and Wine R&D Corporation. In 1995 he formed McWilliam Consulting, covering agricultural research and resource management in and out of Australian. When he finally retired in 2005 – “to relearn how to play golf and enjoy the beach at Mooloolaba” – he took on as ‘recreation’ with other volunteers the rehabilitation of the Eric Joseph Foote War Memorial Sanctuary at Buderim.
Jim McWilliam was showered with awards, including AO, FTSE, FAIAS, Centenary Medal, Donald Medal, Fulbright Fellowship Rotary International Fellow and Schlich Gold Medal.
In 1994, the UNE awarded Jim a Doctorate in Rural Science.
While he was acknowledged within international and national scientific communities as a peerless leader and intellect, he was renowned for his mentoring and inclusiveness, especially of the student fraternity.
• With input from Garth Nikles, John Huth and David Wood.
