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Until just over three years ago, Professor Richard Scolyer would have been no chance of ever having a state funeral.
He was at the peak of an exceptional career as a world-leading pathologist, medical co-director of Melanoma Institute Australia, joint author of more than 900 research papers, speaker at 400-plus conferences and seminars, conjoint professor at the University of Sydney and senior staff specialist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
But other than occasional media appearance talking about sun safety or skin checks, Scolyer was little known outside the medical and cancer research communities.
His life changed dramatically when he had a seizure in a Polish hotel room in May 2023. He was staying in an alpine town with his wife, Dr Katie Nicoll, after a lecture.
Scolyer discovered that, at 56, he had a particularly lethal type of incurable brain tumour. “I was scared, anxious and fearful that the glioblastoma would give me a horrific last few months, and leave Katie without a husband and our kids without a father,” he later wrote in the book Brainstorm.
Despair could have overwhelmed Scolyer. No-one would have blamed him for shutting down and staying at home.
But he won admirers around the country for the courage he showed in trying a risky experimental treatment proposed by Professor Georgina Long – his fellow co medical director at the institute – his humility, his positivity about living a full life and his openness about having cancer.
Scolyer’s public profile rose as he and Long were named 2024 Australian of the Year, Brainstorm became a bestseller, he posted regular updates on social media about his treatment, and he gave many emotional interviews about how he wanted to “have a crack” at changing brain cancer treatment.
While other state funerals have been controversial recently, there was not the slightest doubt that Scolyer deserved one. It takes place at Sydney Opera House on Monday at 11am.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Chris Minns are expected to be among 2500 people in a full Concert Hall. Peter Garrett and Martin Rotsey from Midnight Oil – Scolyer’s favourite band – and Kate Miller-Heidke will perform.
The 90-minute service will be broadcast on ABC TV, iView and Nine, and 702 ABC Sydney on radio.
Before the start, a Tour de Cure peloton will cycle from Martin Place to the Opera House, commemorating Scolyer’s rides to raise funds for cancer research since 2023.
Clint Bowen, who oversees the rides, said Scolyer started cycling with the group as a cancer researcher and finished his last event in March as a patient. Struggling at times, he rode 500 kilometres through Tasmania over four days.
“Every time we stopped at various towns, there was a queue of people waiting to talk to him,” he said. “And he’d take the time to talk to them all.”
There will be a live blog of the state funeral on smh.com.au/theage.com.au on Monday morning.
* Garry Maddox wrote Brainstorm with Richard Scolyer.
