As this chapter was going to press, word arrived of the death by accident of Cyril Brookes. Among many other things, Brookes was the first Professor of Information Systems in Australia—at UNSW from 1974 to 1994. It would appear that he is the first Australian professor of IS to pass on.

Brookes became the Founding Professor of Information Systems at UNSW in 1974 after a distinguished decade with BHP, culminating in his role there as Manager, Corporate Data Processing. The IT faculty grew to be one of the largest in Australia, with 30 academics and 1000 students during his 20-year tenure. His practical experience and professional determination to reinforce technological alignment with business and government supported the university’s drive into cooperative education schemes with industry. He was involved as well in the design of advanced computer-based production systems, the work later leading to his establishing grapeVINE and BI Pathfinder as successful commercial enterprises. Brookes also worked to promote sound governance of ICT in Australia; he was NSW chair of the ACS, an executive committee member for several years and he served on IFIP’s IS committee for a decade from 1975. He was made an ACS Fellow in 1972, and was founding director and later chair of the Australian Association of Chief Information Officers. His contribution to IS in Australian universities was massive. His untimely passing is lamented greatly.