Canberra scientist and advocate Emeritus Professor Malcolm Whyte died on on Wednesday, June 3, aged 105.
He was a resident of the Mirinjani nursing home in Weston where he celebrated his 105th birthday last year.
He was a humble and good-humoured man who also happened to be a groundbreaking scientist, the foundation professor at The John Curtin School of Medical Research, and the first chair of Canberra Lifeline.
His 100th birthday in 2020 fell during the pandemic when he was living in the independent units at Mirinjani.
He celebrated with a party over Zoom. Noble Prize winner and Australian National University vice-chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt was one of the speakers.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra performed Happy Birthday for him, with artistic director Richard Tognetti sending a personal message through the screen.
Professor Whyte's brilliant life started on October 26, 1920 in the unlikely place of Jammalamadugu in South India.
The son of missionaries, Professor Whyte spent the first eight years of his life in India.
He went to school in Ipswich and studied at the University of Queensland, his studies interrupted by World War II. He served with the army in Borneo and the Celebes.
An empathetic man, Professor Whyte was the first chairman of Lifeline Canberra in 1971 and also trained as a telephone counsellor.
"Lifeline has been a marvellous experience," he said, in 2020.
In the mid-70s, he switched careers to focus more on community health, spearheading drug and alcohol counselling in Canberra.
In 2023, then 19-year-old Nick Mesics painted a portrait of then 102-year-old Professor Whyte for a project which linked young people with centenarians.
Nick said then that Professor Whyte had become a good friend.
"Malcolm's independence shocked, awed and humbled me, changing how I view ageing," he said, at the time.
Professor Whyte was among a growing number of Canberrans still living a good life aged 100 or older.
He was father to Bruce and Christine with first wife Peg (nee Lamont), stepfather to Denby, Rosie and Kate and was also a grandfather and great-grandfather.
