CES & T special edition to commemorate the contribution of Professor Brian Cherry to corrosion engineering

Foreword

Brian Cherry passed away peacefully on 27 April 2018. This Foreword pays tribute to and acknowledges the enormous impact Brian had on the field of corrosion science and technology over many decades.

Brian was many things; a gentleman, a sailor, a scholar, and one of the most significant figures in the history of Australian engineering and engineering education. He was a man, who had received the highest level of respect from all who knew him, and from all who had interacted with him professionally and socially. He inspired countless students, co-authors, practitioners, engineers, and researchers young and old.

Born in Leicester, UK in 1935, his intrepid spirit brought Brian to Australia, following his PhD studies at the University of Cambridge. Fascinated by research, and eager to make unique scientific contributions of his own, Brian joined Monash University in Melbourne Australia five decades ago, and was one of a small number of staff as founding faculty members of the Department of Materials Engineering. In his career, Brian held various positions, rising from a junior academic to become Professor; including many senior secondments and roles in his long career. He was the inaugural Associate Dean of Research at Monash University and was also instrumental in the establishment of post-graduate degrees at Monash.

In addition to many passions in life and responsibilities that accompanied his academic life, Brian was committed to what he called ‘rust busting’ – a phrase he used often, and perhaps the most (and only) semblance of slang he ever used. Every student who had studied corrosion in Australia did so based on what they had learnt from Brian. As was mentioned at Brian's funeral – with a recollection of his involvement in the protection of significant national assets – there was no person in Australia who had not benefitted from the work of Brian. This is because Brian was very practical in his fight against corrosion. He realised that corrosion was an enemy worth fighting, and he took the fight on by educating students, researchers and industry (and the general public at any chance).

During his busy academic career, Brian became a member of the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) which he joined in 1969. He would volunteer his time to contribute and participate without hesitation. He was a tireless contributor to the activities of the ACA for almost 50 years, serving on various Committees and as a long time Editor of the ACA publication ‘Corrosion and Materials’.

Brian's legacy includes a stream of undergraduate students trained in corrosion, in addition to countless postgraduate students. These students have permeated industry, nationally and internationally, filling positions at large companies (utilities, mining, oil & gas), consultancies (big and small), one-person companies, and everything in between. His students have also gone on to become academics around the world, spreading the ‘rust busting’ message far and wide. Brian was an institution and epitomised what many aspire to. He was rigorous, confident, and funny (when he needed to be). I take this opportunity to share a couple of stories that reflect the sort of man that Brian was, many such stories were shared upon the news of Brian's passing.

I always remember as an undergraduate Brian turning up to a lecture an hour early, as did one of my mates. Brian lectured to him and him alone for the next hour, asking the sole student all the questions that Brian had intended to ask the class. Then when the rest of us turned up at the right time, Brian just started all over again. Such a story typifies that, in what was always a busy career, students and the transfer of knowledge and training came first.

In a professional context related to Brian's tenure as Associate Dean of Research; waiting to see him was like sitting outside the headmaster's office. He was: precise, analytical, always on point. He made quick decisions and had the wisdom to treat situations on their merits, understanding that we had to move with the times, even be ahead of the times. Undoubtedly, considered decisions and a pursuit of excellence were the hallmarks of Brian. He was an inspiration to many, not just for his professional achievements, but also for his courageous battle against illness. For the past two decades, Brian's poise and determination in times of poor health served as his hallmark. He was always smiling, eager to participate, and maintained the continuity of character that only Brian could. There is no doubt that Brian would want all of us to celebrate his life well-lived, perhaps with a glass or two of red wine, but also to keep smiling and to keep fighting the enemy – rust! For those in Brian's beloved Melbourne, we will always be able to remember him whenever we look at the spire of the Melbourne Arts Centre, for we are assured it will not corrode!

Brian left an adoring wife Miriam, children James and Liz, and grandchildren Nicholas, Gretel and William. He is greatly missed by family, colleagues, friends and acquaintances.

This Special Edition of CES & T contains papers prepared by colleagues, co-authors, past students and friends of Brian Cherry. The subjects of the papers are in areas of corrosion science and engineering in which Brian's worked and published throughout his long and productive career.

Editor's Note

Professor Nick Birbilis was the Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University, at the time of Brian's passing. He is a graduate from that Department where he also completed his PhD in 2004 (under the supervision of Brian Cherry).