Icon Of Metallurgy Dies At 93

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday November 22, 2006

By COURTNEY TRENWITH

THE man who refused to retire, Howard Worner, has died aged 93.

Described as an icon of Australian metallurgy and one of the last surviving founders of the profession, Professor Worner worked at the University of Wollongong into his 90s.

He helped pioneer the metallurgy profession in the 1930s and '40s, gaining international recognition for his work and receiving dozens of accolades including the Centenary Medal from the Federal Government.

Prof Worner was 73 when he started work at UOW in 1986, but he still had plenty of time to make a mark.

He had officially retired from his previous position as head of research at mining company Rio Tinto, but that didn't stop his inquisitive mind from indulging in scientific experiments.

For a university that was not quite a decade old, his presence was a major coup.

"Having somebody of Howard's standing associated with the university increased its reputation enormously," former UOW deputy vice-chancellor Professor Peter Robinson said.

"In those days, Wollongong was a university just getting established. If you had somebody joining the staff after retirement who had been director of research for the two largest (minerals) companies in the country (BHP and Rio Tinto), who was an icon in the profession, it reflected very well on the university."

Prof Worner was director of the Microwave Applications Research Centre within UOW's Illawarra Technology Centre. He continued to work two or three days a week during his 80s and still visited the university at least once a fortnight before his death.

"I think it's fair to say Howard never retired," Prof Robinson said. "He's one of those people who just kept contributing over the years."

Prof Worner loved UOW so much he donated his 1000-piece collection of minerals, collected over 70 years, to the university.

Prof Worner died on Friday at Lawrence Hargrave Private Hospital, Thirroul.

He was born in Swan Hill, Victoria on August 3, 1913 and raised on a farm.

Prof Worner and his late wife Rilda moved to Wollongong in 1986 to be closer to their children, Ruth Proctor and Colin. His eldest son John died in 1963. Prof Worner is also survived by eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

His funeral will be held at 1.30pm tomorrow at the UOW Unicentre Conference and Function Centre. Refreshments will be held at the Howard Worner Collection in the foyer of building 41.

© 2006 Illawarra Mercury

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