Ian Frazer
Immunologist, professor at the University of Queensland and co-developer of the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) with the late Dr Jian Zhou
“We started off in the early 1980s, trying to grow the virus in the lab but it wouldn’t grow so we had to build it from scratch. When we put the building blocks of the coating of the virus into a test tube and shook them up, they formed the coating of the virus on their own. That’s when we realised we could make something that looked like the virus but wasn’t infectious – the basis of the vaccine.
It was another 10 years before the vaccine company got to the point of doing clinical trials and that’s when things started to get interesting. I was in New York when I got the call to tell me that the vaccine worked. The people at the company were really, really excited. They wanted me to talk to the TV channels so I went to Times Square and onto late-night chat shows. That’s when I knew it was actually real.
My proudest moment was giving the first ever shot of the vaccine to my colleague’s 16-year-old daughter in 2006. I was pretty emotional but also very excited. It felt like the completion of the circle.
The message that I hope gets out to research students – who can sometimes get despondent when things aren’t going well
– is that my work relied on a lot of other people’s research along the way. Everyone in research is putting something useful into the picture and your work can benefit patients as much as a doctor can.”
Jefa Greenaway
Architect and co-founder of Indigenous Architects Victoria
It was only on reflection that architect Jefa Greenaway realised he was unique. “Going through my tertiary studies I knew there weren’t any Indigenous people in the faculty at that time,” he says. “It wasn’t until I’d been in private practice for a number of years that I realised there were hardly any of us.” In 2004, he became the first Indigenous architect registered in Victoria.
Working alongside wife Cathy Drosinos at their firm, Greenaway Architects, he applies the history and stories of his cultural heritage to contribute a singular sensibility in the field. “When we move beyond the tropes and clichés to blend different perspectives, that’s where innovation happens,” explains Greenaway, adding that “it’s often through conversations with traditional custodians and then interpreting, innovating and adapting some of that thinking through a contemporary lens.”
Photograph by Peter Casamento
It’s an approach that resonates with Greenaway’s clients. “There’s been a huge appetite and desire to engage with these stories as they relate particularly to the built environment,” he says.
As well as his successful practice, Greenaway established Indigenous Architects Victoria (IAV) to encourage more Indigenous Australians to pursue the profession. “It can be isolating at times because you don’t have a cohort to draw from,” he says of his desire to give back. “IAV is the only peak body that represents Indigenous builtenvironment practitioners.”
For the next instalment of magazine’s 100 Inspiring Australians, look out for our July issue, available 1 July.