Joseph Thomas Baker (19 June 1932 – 16 January 2018) was an Australian marine scientist and rugby league footballer.King, Jennifer (29 January 2018
Footballing scientist Joe Baker brought Great Barrier Reef wonders to world attention
''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

'',

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

. Retrieved 29 April 2018.

Academic career

Born and raised in

Warwick, Queensland Warwick ( ) is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in southeast Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Region Local government in Australia, local governme ...

, Baker moved to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in 1950 to commence studies at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

and to take up a cadetship with the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...

.Baker, Tracey (23 February 2018
Joe Baker obituary: scientist and rugby league footballer who helped protect Great Barrier Reef
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'',

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The Sydney Morning Herald' ...

. Retrieved 29 April 2018. Baker achieved a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

, majoring in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

before continuing on to study for his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

. In 1956, he was appointed a demonstrator at the University of Queensland's chemistry department. When the University of Queensland opened a campus in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

in 1961, Baker became a foundation lecturer in the chemistry department, becoming an associate professor when the campus became

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

in 1970. While working in

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

, Baker's research became more focused on marine science, particularly pertaining to the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

. He became a founding member of the

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. It is a vast multiple-use Marine Park which supports a wide range of uses, including commercial marine tourism, fishing, ports an ...

, and is credited in helping the reef achieve World Heritage status in 1981.Vale Joe Baker AO, OBE
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland Government website. Accessed 29 April 2018. Throughout his career, Baker served terms as Chief Scientist with the Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries, chairman of the

Australian Heritage Commission The Australian Heritage Commission (AHC), was the Australian federal government authority established in 1975 by the ''Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975'' as the first body to manage natural and cultural heritage in Australia until its de ...

and Commissioner for the Environment in the ACT. Baker was also a founder of the

Queensland Academy of Sport The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1991 by the Queensland Government to support athletes in the state of Queensland. Its headquarters are currently located at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in ...

Sporting career

Baker's rugby league career began in

before he began playing for Brisbane club Easts in 1950, where he remained until 1960. During his time at the club, he scored 53 tries and kicked 13 goals during 175 first grade appearances.Ricketts, Steve (21 January 2018
Vale Joe Baker
QRL Media,

Queensland Rugby League The Queensland Rugby Football League QRL Constitution, 2009: 3 (QRL QRL Constitution, 2009: 2) is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL Commission) and selects the membe ...

. Retrieved 29 April 2018. During this time, he also played for Brisbane in the inter-city competition, the

Bulimba Cup The Bulimba Cup was an Australian rugby league football competition contested by the Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba representative rugby league sides during the mid 20th century. In 1931, a team from Lismore, New South Wales participated. It was ...

. In 1959, his career peaked when he played in the position for

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

against the touring

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

side, and against

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Following his move to Townsville, Baker established the James Cook University Rugby League Football Club. Following his playing career, Baker spent time coaching. He coached North Queensland to win a state title against Brisbane in 1971.

Personal life

Baker married Valerie Wormald in 1955. They had four children - Russell, Tracey, Rohan and Sharyn. At the time of his death, he had nine grandchildren.

Honours

In 1982, Baker was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) for services to marine science.The Order of the British Empire - Officer
(OBE), 12 June 1982, It's an Honour In 1989 he was elected a

Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering There are almost 900 living fellows of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. The post-nominal is FTSE. The following lists many notable living and deceased Fellows. Post-nominal statistics ;Numbers of active/living Fellows i ...

(FTSE).Focus 205
February 2018, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). He was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

in 2001 for service to environmental research.Centenary Medal
1 January 2001, It's an Honour In 2001, Baker was named as a Queensland Great at the inaugural

Queensland Greats Awards The Queensland Greats Awards recognise outstanding Queenslanders for their years of dedication and contribution to the development of the state and their role in strengthening and shaping the community in Queensland, Australia. The awards are pr ...

. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) in 2002 "for service to marine science, to the development of commercially viable and environmentally sustainable aquaculture industries, to environmental research and protection, and to the progress of ecologically sustainable development in Australia and internationally".Officer of the Order of Australia
(AO), 26 January 2002, It's an Honour The sports science laboratory at the Queensland Academy of Sport was named in Baker's honour in 2010.De Brenni, Mick (19 January 2018
Media Statement: Vale Professor Joe Baker AO OBE
Queensland Government website. Accessed 29 April 2018. James Cook University honoured Baker in 2011 by naming its playing field at its Townsville campus Joe Baker Field.

Death

After suffering from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

for some years, Baker died in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

on 16 January 2018 at the age of 85. His funeral was held in Canberra on 24 January 2018. Baker's death prompted a number of public tributes.Riley, Rachel (19 January 2018
JCU loses a founding member and passionate Professor
''

Townsville Bulletin The ''Townsville Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper published in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, formerly known as the ''Townsville Daily Bulletin''. It is the only daily paper that serves the northern Queensland region. The paper has a print ...

'', News Corp Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Joe 1932 births 2018 deaths Australian marine biologists Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian rugby league coaches Australian rugby league players Deaths from Parkinson's disease Eastern Suburbs Tigers players Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering James Cook University faculty Neurological disease deaths in the Australian Capital Territory Officers of the Order of Australia People from Warwick, Queensland Queensland rugby league team players Recipients of the Centenary Medal Rugby league players from Queensland University of Queensland alumni