The family of a world-renowned pathologist say his legacy will live on through his melanoma research and the inspirational way he dealt with his own brain cancer diagnosis.
Richard Scolyer, the 2024 Australian of the Year, will be honoured with a state funeral after his death on Sunday at the age of 59.
He helped save the lives of thousands of people through his groundbreaking work on skin cancer.
Along with colleague Georgina Long, he took melanoma from being a common death sentence to a disease that was largely curable through treatment that activated a patient's immune system, bringing hope and healing to many.
Professor Scolyer's brother-in-law Charlie Nicoll reflected on the leading researcher's three-year battle with an incurable and aggressive brain cancer, glioblastoma, after he was given as little as six months to live in 2023.
