Obituary
Emeritus Professor Gordon Lee (Bill) McClymont, AO 1920-2000
Eminent scientist, educator agriculturalist, humanitarian, visionary and Foundation Dean, Faculty of Rural Science (1955-1976) University of New England.
Having devoted his life to rural Australia, Professor Bill McClymont late of Armidale and Mosman, died on the morning of Saturday 6 May 2000 at Royal North Shore Hospital, just two days short of his 80th birthday after long enduring the incapacitating effects of Parkinsons disease
Bill McClymont was enormously respected and admired world wide for his humanity, intellectual capacity, insight, and his comprehensive vision for sustainable agriculture based on an ecosystems approach.
His view of an holistic and integrated approach to agricultural education, his vision, energy and intellectual capacity changed the face of Australian agriculture and agricultural education and made huge contributions to sustainable agriculture and agricultural education in developing countries around the world.
He held that a deep appreciation of the relevant sciences (soils, plants and animal production) and their interactions was crucial for a comprehensive understanding of agricultural ecosystems. He was one of the few that had the wisdom to integrate those disciplines and as such made a major contribution to agriculture and agricultural education, both in Australian and overseas. In recognition of his work, achievements and contributions to agriculture and research he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1989.
He will be remembered as a visionary and inspiring teacher by the literally thousands of people across the globe whom he enlighten and mentored, from school children, farmers, university students, academics, members of the scientific community to politicians, within Australia and across both the developed and developing world.
Gordon Lee McClymont (his father greeted the newborn with a cheerful "G'day Bill'' and it stuck) started university when 16 as a Department of Agriculture trainee. He was in his third year when war broke out and he joined the Army Veterinary Corps, a unit attached to Veterinary Sciences at Sydney University. Despite volunteering for service overseas he was kept at home. After again seeking to go to war by joining the RAAF the government again stepped in and kept him at home in his scientific research and advisory role. Even then, he was giving practical advice to farmers and graziers.
In this period McClymont developed a phenomenal knowledge of Australian agriculture from the top policy making level to basic on-ground farming problems.
Having graduated in Vet. Science at the age of 21, winning the University Medal in the process, he later went to Cambridge for his PhD. He was unimpressed by British and American agricultural education and was determined to take a new approach in Australia. That new approach would become the Rural Science degree at the University of New England when he was appointed to the foundation chair when just 36 years old.
Ahead of his time, from the 1960s he taught an holistic approach to agriculture. In his now famous lectures in agricultural ecology to Rural Science undergraduates, he integrated the various disciplines of agriculture. One graduate called this the McClymont Magic which not only described his teaching ability and philosophy, but also the man himself.
In his prime he was a larger than life character, a man of great vigour with a prodigious appetite for work. He was a reticent amateur actor and singer and an enthusiastic gardener whose love of natural form and beauty sat well beside his skills as a scientist eager to forage at the frontiers of the disciplines. Even so, he always retained his ability to deal in practical terms with farmers' many problems.
A dedicated family man and master teacher who devoted himself to important issues, particularly his students, he had that unique knack of demonstrating genuine respect and friendship that was manifestly reciprocated.
He had the skill to break down and synthesise his wide-ranging disciplinary knowledge into a series of systemic flow charts which drew together the key elements of the agricultural ecosystem. Teachers world wide now use these flow charts worldwide as guides to sustainable agriculture.
His belief that any dogma needed to be challenged at times created enemies and at other times saw even devoted friends with their noses out of joint. He foresaw the need for appropriate agricultural training in less fortunate parts of the world, making major contributions in Asia, Africa and Central America with the United Nations and World Bank.
In the 1950s Prof McClymont recognized the need for sustainability in all agricultural practices and was early to recognise the incongruity of feeding grain to livestock in a world faced by shortages of grain. He discussed global warming before this became a household phrase and predicted an imminent fuel crisis and in the 1950s he recognised the need for sustainability permeating all agricultural practices, controversially predicting a need for people to return to the land as fuel supplies dwindled.
Like a number of great scientists Bill did not always get the time pattern correct but he ensured awareness and helped develop and inspire the generation that is now having to deal with the consequences of an ever increasingly polluted world that currently depends on increasingly expensive and rapidly diminishing fossil fuel.
A recent example of how the McClymont Magic is still at work came from a former student, Reg Preston, working in Cambodia. In a message in appreciation of Bill McClymont and his ideas he said that Bill’s legacy, ideas and beliefs are still very much alive in Cambodia. The mission of the UTA Foundation of promoting the "Sustainable Use of Natural Renewable Resources in Integrated Farming Systems" and helping people to "Learn by Doing" follows the principles of "Rural Science" in the way that Bill McClymont would have approved. Sadly, most agricultural institutions of learning have taken the other road of specialisation and support for the market economy. Yet, the recent demonstrations in Seattle and Washington, and the hundreds of messages posted to the present World Bank teleconference on Globalisation, are proving that this view is not shared by those with real concern about the state of the world and the plight of its poorest inhabitants.
With his active and inquisitive mind always racing ahead, Bill somehow simply did not find the time to communicate all his ideas, and although he made a brave effort, he was unable to complete writing up much of his accumulated wisdom before the effects of his debilitating illness prevailed. Much of the later development of his concepts and his potential contribution have been lost with him. However, in 1996 the UNE Department of Animal Sciences held a seminar to celebrate the contribution of Bill McClymont to agriculture through 40 years of Rural Science. The resulting book* honours his contribution to sustainable agriculture and agricultural education as the visionary founder of Rural Science. The book includes memoirs of Bill through the reminiscences of his many friends and colleagues. It is recommended reading for those who wish to know more about this honourable and great Australian. It also throws light on achieving a wider sustainable society.
It is an opportune time to reflect on what Bill McClymont strived for and to appreciate anew the relevance of his philosophy as the basis of sustainable rural development, and in turn, a sustainable society.
A memorial service to celebrate Bill's life and achievements was held in Armidale on Wednesday 17th May at UNE. It was attended by a great number of Bill’s former colleagues, students and admirers, may of whom spoke with genuine admiration, warmth and deep affection for Bill, his wife (and stalwart) Vivienne, and his remarkable legacy.
He is survived by his wife, Vivienne, and their children Vicky, Kim, Glenn and Rod.
His many admirers and family are in the process of establishing an International Foundation in memory of Bill to promote the Rural Science ethos for sustainable agriculture.
*RURAL SCIENCE Philosophy and Application. Editor J S Ryan UNE Printery Armidale NSW 2351
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