POSTED to EE&T ALUMNI

11 APR 2024

Sections: -- Official: Prof. Neville Rees -- Head of School Notice --- Chris Lu’s Memories --- My Exposure -- Further Comments -- Image Credits

=== Official: Prof. Neville Rees ===

Notice in SMH for 12th April 2024: https://tributes.smh.com.au/obituaries/505274/prof-neville-waller-rees?r=https://tributes.smh.com.au/obituaries/smh-au/

=== Head of School Notice ===

[Prof. Jinhong Yuan]: “Dear Colleagues,

With great sadness, we share the news of the passing of our esteemed former Head of School, Professor Neville Rees.

Neville served with dedication and distinction during his tenure with us, as Associate Dean Research (1995-2000), and Head of Department of Systems and Control (1972-1979), leaving an indelible mark on our community through his leadership, mentorship, and contributions to the School.

During his tenure of 30 years at UNSW, Neville consistently demonstrated his dedication to excellence and his passion for Systems and Control. His legacy lives on in the countless students and colleagues whose lives he touched.

As we mourn the loss of Neville, we also reflect on the significant impact he had on our school and beyond. His commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering a culture of collaboration leaves an enduring legacy that will continue to shape our school for years to come.”

=== Chris Lu's Memories ===

"I joined UNSW as a staff under Neville in 1990, and later worked on my PhD with him. Neville was a very kind and caring person and was always there to guide and help. We became very good friends.

We talked about everything from control systems to travel, from native garden to international politics. He preferred writing everything by hand, pages after pages, only started to use a computer to write after his retirement. He then would call me with the problems of lost files in his computer.

After he moved to the nursing home, we would bring him his favourite cakes to share, with a cup of tea and a chat. I miss him and will always remember him as my great mentor and good friend.

(Chris Lu is retired and currently is a Visiting Fellow at the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, UNSW)"

=== My Exposure ===

Neville, was at the helm of a rapidly expanding Computer Science Dept through ElecEng in the early 1980's for the Mainframe Unix System.

He chaired the fortnightly staff liasion meetings where the Elsoc executive were invited to attend. "Why General Studies?" was relayed many times from the undergraduates to the meetings.

Also, "Where can we move the Elsoc Common Room again" was another bi-monthly concern as the Computer Terminal rooms were growing for students to use. We got used to his laugh as an answer with the groans of some Department Heads in jest and camaraderie.

All were happy in those expansive days.

=== Further Comments ===

Please share among your colleagues.

=== Image Credits ===

Top Left: Corridors of EEnT

Top Right: UNIKEN 1989-nbr10, pg3

Btm Row: Chris Lu.

// Posted on Elsoc Alumni (FB) and EEnT Alumni (LI) – 11 APR 2024

// Ctee: @Kaveh, @Luke, @Edmund, @Shakthi, @Vijay, and Dean @JulienE

// Previous Ctee: @GaganSK, @SomanshA, @SimonB, @MatthewR

Post - EEAlm 240411.docx

Robert Smith