MEDIA RELEASE

ACS Elects Honorary Life Members and Fellows

Friday 21 March 1997 - The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has recognised with Honorary Life Memberships and Fellowships the contributions of several distinguished members.

The elections, approved at the latest meeting of the ACS Council, elevate the grade and status of eight leading identities in the Australian IT&T industry: Bob Tisdall; Professor Frank Hirst; Ian Dennis; Graeme Inchley; Colin Pratt; Professor John Rosenberg; John Leek; and Dr Christopher Dampney.

"It is always a pleasure to be able to honour those members who have served above and beyond the call to the benefit not only of the Society, but of the Australian IT industry," said ACS President, Tom Worthington.

"In particular, the status of Honorary Life Member, which is only conferred upon a maximum of two members each year, is designed to recognise their vital and distinguished contribution over a period of at least 10 years and often significantly longer.

"Through their dedication and professional excellence, these people have shaped our industry and will leave behind a legacy of which the Society is justifiably very proud."

Emeritus Professor Frank Hirst has been a pioneer of Information Technology in Australia, making an outstanding contribution to his profession through his work within various universities and through his ACS activities. A founder of the Victorian Computer Society, he served as Honorary Secretary and was its second President. He worked hard to realise his vision for a national computer society and was one of nine delegates to the inaugural ACS Council Meeting. His service to the Society has been distinguished and sustained over a long period, as has been his contribution to his discipline as a leading academic computer scientist. He has been elected to the Grade of Honorary Life Member.

Bob Tisdall has also been made an Honorary Life Member after playing an active role in the ACS and industry in general for many years. Within the Society he has held the roles of Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Branch Councillor, Vice-Chairman and twice been elected Branch Chair in Queensland, while at National level he has been Vice-President, Chair of Continuing Education and Chair of the Constitutional Review Committee. He is employed as director of a leading Queensland IT company, and has made a significant contribution in promoting technology in both the corporate and government sectors. He has also been at the forefront of promoting the ACS as a society of professionals to the IT community as a whole.

Dr Christopher Dampney has become an ACS Fellow in recognition of his work in the development of information systems as an academic discipline. An Associate Professor of Computing at Macquarie University, Dr Dampney is well known for his research in Database, Information Systems Development and Information Systems Management Practice. His work includes developing the General Attribute Database that supported the NASA Australian Space-borne Magnetometer project, and the development of innovative curricula while Director of Postgraduate Programs in Computing and Information Systems at Macquarie University.

Ian Dennis has also been elected as an ACS Fellow after years of active service to the IT industry, including being the founder and founding president of the Australian Software Houses Association of Australia. He was deputy leader of the first IT trade mission organised by the ACS in 1982 and was also a member of the Government survey mission to Japan in 1984. Mr Dennis played a major role in the formation of ASOCIO and in 1989 was the first elected President of the Software And Services Industry Federation of Australia. He was a Director of the AIIA, for an extended period, and is involved with the Victorian Government in promoting the Ballarat Region as a growth area for the IT industry.

Graeme Inchley has been elected as an ACS Fellow for his distinguished contribution to the field of IT in Australia. Of particular significance has been his contribution to the Computers in Schools Program and to the Australian Information Industry Association and Business Software Association as Director of those bodies. He also won a Fulbright Scholarship and spent time in the US studying the emerging use of computer technology in education and public administration.

John Leek has also made a significant contribution to the field of information technology, primarily through his work in public sector IT. Through many years in senior positions and particularly his current role as NSW Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Leek has been the key person responsible for the development of statements of best practice for the management of information technology and communications in the public service. He has also been largely responsible for establishing government-wide telecommunications standards and developing a broad range of strategies pertaining to IT in Government. Mr Leek has been elected to the Grade of Fellow of the ACS.

Colin Pratt has been actively involved in the art and practice of information technology since 1966 and has been awarded an ACS Fellowship in recognition of his tremendous contributions to the Society and the profession as a whole. Mr Pratt has served as National Treasurer of the ACS as well as a Branch Councillor in the NSW Branch. He also played a significant role in developing early computing systems as the key person in projects servicing the banking and airline industries.

Professor John Rosenberg has become a Fellow of the ACS after a long and distinguished career in academia. Currently the Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sydney, Professor Rosenberg was the S.E.R.C. Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Computational Science, University of St Andrews, Scotland in 1989-90 and has been a prolific author, having written or contributed to nearly 80 published papers. He is well known for his research on the MDNADS project in which he was joint investigator with Professor Les Keedy, and has played a prominent role on more than a dozen Programme Committees, working to progress computer science education in Australia.

This media release is available on the Web at: http://www.acs.org.au/news/fell97.htm

ENDS

Media Enquiries:

Tom Worthington ACS President Mobile: 0419 496 150 Email: tomw@acslink.net.au

Caroline New, Caroline New PR, Tel: (02) 9630 2108 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au