There are few privileges in life as meaningful as spending time with a truly great Australian. It was a pleasure to share a morning tea in Canberra with Dr Keith Boardman and his daughter, Jane.
We met in the Tea Room at the Hyatt Hotel. Dressed in a suit and tie, Keith was wheeled in by Jane. He promptly ordered coffee and scones with jam and cream before engaging for more than 90 minutes on his life, his loves, and his plans.
Keith received a Dafydd Lewis Trust scholarship in 1944, the second year of scholarships offered, after spending five years at Geelong High School and completing his matriculation year at Melbourne Boys High School.
At 100 years old, his mind is sharp and his recollections remarkably clear. He remembers catching the 6:18 am train from Geelong every Monday morning to Melbourne, where he boarded with an uncle during the week while completing his final year of high school. The Dafydd Lewis Trust scholarship enabled him to study chemistry at the University of Melbourne and go on to complete a Master’s degree and PhD, all made possible by the funds from the Trust.
“It was the only way I could have done it,” Keith recalled. “Daffyd Lewis covered my school fees, books, and living expenses for seven years while I completed my PhD. I was very fortunate to then receive a post-doctoral posting at Cambridge University.”
While seven years of support is generous even by today’s standards, that investment in Keith led to a lifetime of research and leadership. He returned to Australia and eventually became Chairman and CEO of CSIRO. His list of achievements, discoveries, and accolades is extensive.
While I got a little lost in some of the chemical and mathematical explanations of his achievements, it was clear that Keith remained deeply humbled by the support he received and is forever grateful for it. When I asked why he chose science, he spoke about his father’s assaying books, which fascinated him at home as a young child. He was naturally gifted in mathematics and science, and excellent teachers nurtured those interests.
“Daffyd Lewis changed my life. I have lived a terrific life because of Dafydd Lewis. I have been very lucky.”
He was even exempt from being called up for World War II service because university students were seen as being “more valuable for the country at home”.
Keith and his late wife, Mary, raised seven children taking them all to Los Angeles for a year on a Fullbright Scholarship. All seven children went on to undertake tertiary studies, something of which he is particularly proud. He acknowledges that this pathway may not have been possible without the Dafydd Lewis Trust scholarship opening the door to his own education.
I asked Keith his secret to longevity. His answer was immediate and definitive: three things. Good genetics. Medical advancements over the last 100 years. And temperament. Don’t stress. Again, he considers himself very lucky.
Yet my time with Keith revealed much more than luck. It showed hard work, dedication, intellectual curiosity, and the strength of the supportive family he and Mary built together. Keith’s life story demonstrates the value of education. He has committed to supporting both Dafydd Lewis Trust and Mary Jane Lewis Scholarship Foundations (with five daughters – he dare not do otherwise!).
At the end of our conversation, as Jane wheeled Keith to a waiting taxi that would take him back to his nursing home, I found myself reflecting deeply on the contributions of people like Keith. People who are great enough to reach ground breaking heights, yet humble enough to want to help others, just as they themselves were once helped.
Thank you Jane, for facilitating the visit and providing the opportunity to spend time with Keith and hear his story first hand.
– Scott Chapman AM, Dafydd Lewis Trust – Chair
