It is with great sadness that the University recognises the recent passing of two of the University’s most distinguished alumni, Fr Professor Michael Tate AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO.
Both men led extraordinary lives of service, intellect and generosity, and their contributions have left an enduring mark on our University, our communities and the world.
Michael was a proud Tasmanian, one of the most influential graduates our University has produced, and a friend to many in our University community and far beyond throughout his life. His association with the Law Faculty spanned decades - from his undergraduate studies, completed in 1968, to his service as Dean in 1977-78, and later as an Adjunct Professor.
In 1992 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Tasmania and later an Honorary Professorship, as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011. Michael’s support for the University extended further through the establishment of the Michael Tate Oxford Scholarship, enabling Tasmanian students to undertake advanced theological study at Blackfriars Hall, an opportunity he knew to be transformative.
He remained deeply connected to the Faculty, including through his leadership in establishing and sustaining the Tim Hawkins Memorial Scholarship, which enables a University of Tasmania graduate to gain experience at the War Crimes Tribunals at The Hague.
Michael’s achievements across the academic, political, diplomatic and clerical worlds were remarkable and widely recognised, including by an Order of Australia. Amongst the high offices he held Micheal was Australia’s Minister for Justice and Ambassador to the Holy See and the Hague. Once a student of theology in Oxford University, in later life he was ordained a Catholic Priest and served his community here in Hobart with wisdom and kindness.
He was a man of great humanity, equally at ease with people from all walks of life. A generous mentor, passionate advocate for international humanitarian law, a person of great moral courage who will be remembered not only for his achievements, but also for his warmth, wit and enduring commitment to others.
We also recognise the sad loss of Professor Richard Scolyer (BMedSc 1987; MBBS 1990), whose contribution to medical science and research was extraordinary.
As a globally recognised pathologist, Richard’s pioneering work in cancer treatments has helped transform outcomes for cancer patients around the world. He was awarded the University of Tasmania’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021.
Together with Professor Georgina Long, Richard helped lead breakthroughs in immunotherapy that have changed advanced melanoma from a once fatal disease into one that is now, for many, curable. As co-medical directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia, they have saved thousands of lives and advanced both research and public awareness, particularly in promoting sun safety and prevention, and were awarded joint Australians of the Year in 2024.
Richard understood that medical research is a collective endeavour, built on the work of those who came before and carried forward by future generations, underpinned by the power of education. He used both his professional work and his own experience as a cancer patient with incurable brain cancer to advance cancer research in new directions, and inspire innovation, compassion and determination in others.
His legacy will continue to guide and motivate the medical research community for many years to come.
In recent years, we have established The Professor Richard Scolyer AO Research Innovation PhD Scholarship, funded in perpetuity, to honour Richard's outstanding contributions and to support PhD students in UTAS Health who demonstrate exceptional research potential and a passion for innovative inquiry.
At the University, we extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of both Michael and Richard.
We are profoundly grateful for their contributions and for the example they have set. They will be greatly missed.