Dr. Brian Spies: 1949 - 8th February 2020
Brian Spies
From Pam, Lexi and Anna
Dear friends,
It is with deep sadness that we write to let you know that on 8 February 2020, our much loved Brian Spies (Dad) passed away peacefully at the San Hospital, surrounded by family.
Brian respected and loved each one of you profoundly. Thank you for the impact you had on his life.
Brian wrote the following note before he passed away, which we wanted to share with you:
Dear family and friends,
I have great memories of you all and I wish I could have spent more time with you. I am glad for the adventures we have had and the travels and the work that have been such an important part of my life. I have lived a full and happy life and only wish I could have had more adventures in the future. I am a happy man surrounded by my family who care for me so dearly. I thank you all for the part you have played in my life.
Brian
With love,
Pam, Lexi and Anna
Online obituaries:
Ted Tyne, President ASEG
Dear ASEG Members,
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Dr Brian Spies in Sydney on 8 February.
Brian was one of Australia's most eminent exploration geophysicists and an accomplished national and international science leader, geoscience innovator, research collaborator, science mentor and advocate and a really great friend and mentor to many of us in the ASEG and SEG.
Brian's geoscience career and his innovations and contributions to exploration geophysics, particularly as one of the pioneers of transient electromagnetics (TEM) as well as his contributions to other areas of science, are nothing short of stellar.
Brian double-majored in geology and physics at the University of New South Wales and went on to earn a graduate diploma in applied geophysics on a cadetship from the Bureau of Mineral Resources, where he worked with a broad range of geophysical techniques in the Australian outback.
Brian and I shared our undergraduate years at UNSW forging friendships with our geophysics student cohort that have endured over the decades. Brian completed his PhD at Macquarie University with great support from Prof Keeva Vozoff.
Brian joined the ASEG in 1971 and gave distinguished service in 2000 as ASEG President. Brian has been a passionate leader, contributor and member of our Society over the past five decades.
Brian joined the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) in 1972 and served the SEG over many years in many capacities, including a term as Vice President.
Through his leadership of many working committees and executive groups, he has been zealous in leading the SEG to become a truly international society, to chart new directions with its publications,
and most recently to embrace the age of electronic communications.
Throughout his career Brian has earned many prestigious awards, working in research and management in the resources and energy sectors in Australia and the USA and across industry, academia and government sectors.
As part of Brian's early research on TEM during the 1970s, the Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources funded an exchange to Novosibirsk, Russia. Brian returned to Australia with an MPPO-1 TEM instrument which stimulated considerable TEM developments in CSIRO, BMR and industry.
Brian's international geoscience and leadership roles began in the USA in 1980, including positions with EDCON in Denver, University of California Berkeley (Visiting Assistant Professor); ARCO Oil & Gas Research Center, Texas (earning ARCO's highest technical award - Outstanding Technical Award in Research) and Schlumberger-Doll Research (leading development of EM bore hole techniques for reservoir imaging).
In 1990, Brian returned to Australia to take up the position of Director Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Mineral Exploration Technologies (CRC AMET) - the very first Australian CRC for exploration geoscience, a consortium of government, academic and commercial interests committed to developing improved methods for Australia's exploration industry. This delivered an extraordinary mix of new exploration research innovations over more than seven years.
Following on from the successful completion of the CRC AMET, Brian took on the role of Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO and later Director of Physics at ANSTO and subsequently Science Manager at the Sydney Catchment Authority.
Brian has been a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, an eminent member of the Royal Society of NSW, and in 2003 was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for his services to geoscience.
In 2012, under the auspices of The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), Dr Brian Spies and Professor Graeme Dandy published a major study supported by the Australian Research Council “Sustainable Water Management – Securing Australia's Future in a Green Economy”. This seminal study presented a framework for sustainable water management in Australia that is able to adapt to future challenges through fostering the principles of green growth, improving productivity and economic prosperity as well as improved environmental and social outcomes.
Brian began working in climate science during his time at the Sydney Catchment Authority, where accurate rainfall and climate predictions are crucial to ensuring reliable water supplies for Australia's largest population centre into the future. As this work progressed, Brian took particular interest in the political and sociological barriers to acceptance of climate science.
As late as October 2019, Brian was active is delivering presentations on climate change to a wide range of business and community groups. Some of these are available on line and demonstrate Brian's compelling science communication skills and his passionate advocacy for science and evidence-led policy making by Government.
Brian's contributions to exploration geophysics include eight patents and more than 80 publications and articles. He has been on the Editorial Board of Petroleum Geoscience; a member of ASEG, SEG, SPWLA, AGU, and EAGE; and has served on the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Committee for Non-Invasive Characterisation of the Shallow Subsurface.
Brian leaves an extraordinary legacy of achievement beyond the science of exploration geophysics. Brian's Australian and international science partners, friends and colleagues all speak of him with the highest praise and with reverence for his achievements and contributions.
Brian will be very sadly missed by so many scientists around the world.
Some two years ago, Brian was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer which slowly progressed despite his inspiring positivity and his determination to beat back this disease and despite the extraordinary level of medical science that was brought to bear in his support.
On behalf of our ASEG Members, we offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to Brian's family - his wife Pam, his daughters Lexi and Anna and their families - who have cared for Brian over the past two years sharing the worst of times, through successive cycles of cancer treatments, and the best of times on those memorable and special family holidays.
I also offer my personal and deepest sympathies to Brian's family and to all of Brian's close geo-friends - this is such a very sad loss for all of us.
Kind Regards,
Dr Ted Tyne
President
Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Dennis Woods
Kurt, thank you for this post, sad though it may be. But so many happy memories with Brian. A really wonderful person and great individual. It was Australians like Brian who almost convinced myself and my wife to stay in Australia - if Australians are like this, it is not a bad place to call home.
Visits to BMR in Canberra in the mid 70's, sharing ideas on TEM (I was a Crone PEM guy in those days and Brian was using the MPPO-1 from USSR, and just getting into SIROTEM). But it was the fun stuff I remember mostly: visits to his little goat farm and cabin in the ACT hills in behind Canberra. He named his angora goats for each ski resort he would visit later in life, with proceeds from the mohair shorn from each goat. It didn't quite work out as planned, but he did visit a lot of ski resorts around the world.
Later in life it was at SEG and PDAC conferences where I had a chance to catch up with Brian and his rapidly advancing career, including his contributions to SEG itself. But it was the first SEG we attended in New Orleans in 1979 I remember mostly for the "comradery" (i.e. mostly carrying on like teenagers) with Brian and buddies Peter Gidley, Jovan Silic and Vic Labson. Good times, eh gentleman? We will raise a toast to Brian when we meet again.
Best wishes to all
Dennis Woods
Alan Jones
I knew Brian since - I think - the early-1980s, perhaps the Victoria EM Induction Workshop in 1982? We always had a laugh together at numerous workshops and conferences.
I remember landing into Moscow in 1988 prior to the Sochi EM Induction Workshop. I arrived a few days prior to the workshop and went to my hotel really tired out as I'd flown in from Canada. As I was checking in Brian had collected a few people to go to the Bolshoi Theatre and told me to come along. "But we don't have tickets!", someone said - "Don't worry" said Brian, "we'll get them". And so I dumped my bags in my room and went along, and sure enough Brian bought tickets from scalpers outside the theatre for US$5 each. I tried to pay the man in Canadian dollars, and he laughed, so Brian bought me a ticket. It was the Ukrainian Ballet Company performing The Nutcracker, and I fell asleep...
My favourite though is during the banquet in the castle for the 1994 Brest EM Induction Workshop when Brian challenged me to dance the crossed swords - or rather crossed knives - when the Breton piper was playing. (He was very amused that we were Scottish dancing to his Breton piping!) I think at some point I stood on Brian's wife Pam's foot?
The last time we met was in late 2014 when I was at Macquarie for a month. My wife and I had dinner with Brian and Pam, and Keeva and his wife. My stomach hurt the next day from all of the laughter - most of it directed at colleagues in the EM Induction community!
I miss you Brian,
Alan Jones
Brian Spies and Alan Jones Sword Dancing