Following on:
I left Melbourne University with a degree in Nuclear
Physics and an Honours degree including Electrical
Engineering where I studied the new transistors which
had just been released in Australia (OC71etc). I then
looked for a job and ended up in Canberra in the
CSIRO department of Micro Meteorology. This is the
study of the weather in the atmosphere 2 meters
above the ground an 1 metre below it.( the
atmosphere-earth interface) . It was too cold in
Canberra where this was happening and I returned to
Melbourne to try and find a job more suited to my
qualifications
Peter MacCallum Hospital (Cancer Institute) were
seeking physicists to manage their large X-ray
machines . This was something I understood so I
joined them and spent the next few years planning
patient x-ray treatment planning. A variety of
radiation sources were used as well as x-rays. I was
also required to calibrate the x-ray in Victoria and
Tasmania. This covered an extensive area of Australia.
This kept me going for 10+ years at Peter MacCallum.
Whilst in this position I gained an MSc in solid state
physics using cadmium sulphide dosimetry crystals.
My studies in Electrical Engineering had exposed me
to a branch of Mathematics which was new to me
called State Space Analysis.
The head of research became aware of my maths
skills and asked if I would like to join the Research
group. I would be describing biological systems in
mathematical terms. The major line of research I
would study would be Haemopoiesis (the study of the
blood cell lines) and describe in mathematical terms-
Theoretical Biology. I pursued this work for 7+ years
and identified stem cells as a prerequisite of the model
description. This was in 1971 and it was not until the
1980’s that stem cells were recognized in the human
body although bone marrow transplants had
assumed their existence in the treatment of leukemia.
The engineering mathematics was good at describing
biological systems. I ran simulations of my models on
most large computers in Melbourne including HADES
at Monash University (Hybrid Analog and Digital
Electronic Simulator)
The outcome of this work was a Doctor of Philosophy
Degree in Theoretical Biology at Melbourne University
I was asked by the CEO of Peter MacCallum hospital if
I would be interested in developing and implementing
computer systems within the hospital. I agreed to this
request and we commenced data capture for the
hospital database. This involved capturing history
information back to 1928 as histories in Peter Mac are
retained in case the patient returns with a relapse of a
previous condition. Patient information was placed on
punched cards and was read into the Cyber computer
at Melbourne University. The detail was verified on
desktop computers !!!! and corrections made if
required. Various sections of the hospital came online
. Intense education was followed for some Peter Mac
staff to familiarize them with the new computer
environment.
I was drawn to the computer challenges being
followed by commercial application of computing. I
left Peter Mac to contract for Australia Post,BHP and
finally IBM as a member IBMGSA, a consortium of
IBM,Telstra and LendLease. I left IBMGSA at age 65
and have been retired ever since.
I have built many computer systems in the meantime
in Northern Victoria as well as Toowoomba in
Queensland. I am still building computers for various
users and applications. I joined University of the Third
Age and have been tutoring new computer users
together with building new computers and web sites. I
have built many websites and over 150 computers.
