THE man who established this column-and much else in the communication of science in Australia-is with us no more. Ian Anderson, the first Australasian editor of New Scientist, died earlier this week at the age of 53. He leaves behind family, friends and colleagues, to whom it seems inconceivable that such a doughty character could be overwhelmed by cancer.

No-one has contributed more than Anderson to the promotion of Australian science and technology, particularly abroad. Through the interest and excellence of his reports in New Scientist and other publications, he garnered huge amounts of space to present Australian research to an international readership. He was Australia's quintessential communicator of science in print, but he was not as widely known-outside science, the media, government and readers of this magazine-as he should have been.

It was Anderson, for instance, who put pressure on the UK Government to make a significant commitment to cleaning up the nuclear test site at Maralinga. He researched and wrote a hard-hitting, award-winning feature detailing how Britain had kept Australia in the dark over the conduct and environmental impact of the tests in the South Australian desert. As US West Coast correspondent, Anderson charted the rise and rise of Silicon Valley for New Scientist, before being asked to establish a new edition of magazine for Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. It is still the only edition printed outside the UK. He served on the inaugural committee of Australian Science Communicators (ASC)-an increasingly important lobby group for science awareness-becoming its second president. And he was the force behind the establishment of ScienceNOW!, an annual gathering in Melbourne of science and the media to promote Australia's young researchers and present their stories to the general public.

Typically, until just days before he died, Anderson was still making phone calls and firing off trenchant email directives to do with ScienceNOW! and New Scientist. Not even his final illness stood in his way. (In fact, even as these words are written, I am conscious of his influence looking over my shoulder. I half expect to hear a voice patiently explaining how I should have approached things.)

In one sense, it was Anderson's wife Robin who turned him into a science writer. After training as a journalist at Melbourne's Sun News-Pictorial, and several years work as deputy information officer at Monash University, Ian went overseas with Robin as she pursued her career in cancer research at Stanford University. From there they went to London, where Ian freelanced and worked for the British Schools Council.

One day in 1980, they noticed an advertisement in New Scientist seeking freelance science writers. They answered as a team - Ian would put together the words and Robin would make sure the science was up to scratch. From that day, Ian was an integral part of New Scientist until his death last Monday.

When Robin moved back to Stanford in 1982, Ian became the West Coast correspondent for New Scientist. A notorious workaholic, he also wrote for numerous other publications including occasionally The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. In 1984, for instance, as a science writer at The Age, I edited his stories on the technology of the Los Angeles Olympics. I learned as much about how to present science as I did about the topic.

In 1990 when Ian was asked to establish an Australasian edition of New Scientist, he grabbed the chance with both hands, and showed us all how science communication should be done. Not only did he establish an Australian editorial office, but for about eight years he eased Australian and New Zealand content into the magazine, initially through a monthly Science and Education Supplement and other special supplements. Then through this column and the "home pages". Now, apart from the column and advertising, there is little content specifically earmarked as Australasian. There does not have to be - because copy from the Antipodes is now commonplace in the rest of the magazine. Anderson has done his job well.

His contributions did not go unnoticed. In addition to winning two Michael Daley awards for excellence in science journalism for his Maralinga articles in 1993, he also won the 1998 Public Communication Award from the American Society for Microbiology, for his reporting on the escape of the rabbit calicivirus. The New Zealand Government awarded him two fellowships-one of which took him to Antarctica last year.

Ian Anderson was a journalist's journalist, a purist who was never content unless everything was right-the story, the facts, the style, the structure, even the type and layout. He planned everything meticulously. As a writer, he was almost mechanically competent, but that impression was belied by his utter humanity. He earned the admiration of all who came into contact with him.

Ian was a sports fanatic. A passionate fan of AFL club Saint Kilda, he was at Tullamarine airport with two club jumpers when his two boys from America set foot in Australia for the first time. He was an annual fixture at the Australian Open Tennis, and at the cricket. Until his illness, he was a handy tennis player and golfer. He loved folk music and early recordings. His collection of 78 rpm records and players were his pride and joy.

Farewell, old friend. Your colleagues and the readers of this magazine will miss you and your guiding influence. You have left us a great legacy upon which to build.