Hugh Gordon - Retirement

Retirement

Such was Gordon's dedication to veterinary science and parasitology, he continued to devote his time to these pursuits following his official retirement from the CSIRO in 1974. He continued to make his daily trek from Manly, taking the Manly Ferry then the 440 bus to the Camperdown campus of the University of Sydney.

He divided his time between the Veterinary Science faculty, where he was a demonstrator in parasitology practical classes, and the Max Henry Memorial Library, where he was Honorary Librarian. He continued to devour scientific journal articles on parasitology, keeping abreast of new developments and discoveries. In 1995 the Max Henry Memorial Library was disbanded much to Hugh's dismay. This marked the end of his time at the University of Sydney, 21 years after his official retirement and 64 years after he started at the McMaster Laboratory.

In "Hugh McLeod Gordon an appreciation on his 80th birthday", Alan D. Donald of the CSIRO wrote: "He has a truly enquiring mind, a constant capacity for lateral thinking, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of many things but of manners parasitological above all. At the same time, he has a gentle, self-effacing manner which has always made him instantly approachable by the most junior of his colleagues or students, and he has never been too busy to answer their requests for help or advice. These attributes, together with his origins, have also made him a highly effective communicator with the farming community who hold him in very high regard. His highly developed sense of humour, enormous mental storehouse of jokes, not all of them suitable for all occasions, and his skills as a raconteur, are widely known around the world."

Hugh McLeod Gordon died in Manly Hospital after a short illness on 23 April 2002.