Source: Prime Minister of Australia
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Australia has lost one of our brightest lights and our biggest hearts. Professor Richard Scolyer was a truly remarkable man. He was a personal friend, a neighbour of mine in Camperdown for many years, a proud inner Westie, a great Australian. As a joint 2024 Australian of the year, Professor Scolyer took his place in the national spotlight with determination with purpose as he publicly dealt with an aggressive form of brain cancer. The cancer specialist who became his own subject, Professor Scolyer walked his uncertain path, as he called it, with courage, determination and grace and his legacy will always be with us. The recently established Richard Scolyer Chair at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse proudly bears his name and one day when a cure is found, Richard’s name will be spoken. The hearts of all Australians go out to his wife, Dr Katie Nicoll, who I spoke with this morning and offered a state funeral for Professor Scolyer, which has been accepted.
It also goes to their children who they love so dearly, Emily, Matthew and Lucy. Richard’s mother and father in Tasmania, brother Mark. In his final letter, he left us with an incredible insight into what an extraordinary character he was. He said he wanted to be remembered as a proud everyday Aussie who gave it a crack, but did so with humility, love and compassion. He says this in his final letter: ‘we all have a responsibility to try to change the future for others and leave the world a better place.’ The world is a better place because of Richard Scolyer’s contribution. That’s a contribution that will go on through the work done in his name, but also the work that he has done, which advanced the cause of finding a cure in such a practical way. He continued to work right up until the very end until it was impossible, but spent, as I spoke with Katie this morning, his final days with family, still in good humour and with the strength, determination and character that defined what is an extraordinary legacy. May he rest in peace.
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PRIME MINISTER: I vote Labor, so that’s the position that I take. And I will continue to vote Labor for the rest of my life. It’s the way I came out of the womb. It’s how I’ll continue. It’s up to others to determine what way they vote in our great democracy.
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