The Australian geospatial community is mourning the loss of one of its most illustrious alumni, former surveyor and federal parliamentarian, the Honourable Gary Nairn AO, who passed away on 1 June 2024.
Nairn was known as a great friend of the geospatial sector, having served as Chair of SIBA, and as chair of the Association of Consulting Surveyors Australia prior to that. He was an Honorary Fellow of SSSI (now the Geospatial Council of Australia, GCA) and also served as a Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information.
Nairn attended Sydney Boys High School prior to studying a Bachelor of Surveying at UNSW. After graduating he moved to the Northern Territory where he resided for many years, going on to become a partner in a leading surveying and mapping company, Earl James and Associates, the head office for which was in Darwin.
While in the NT he became the President of the Country Liberal Party and oversaw a period of great success for that party during. At the time of his move back to NSW and into federal politics as the member for Eden Monaro in 1996, he had risen to become the Managing Director of Earl James and Associates.
Nairn was a member of the Howard Government and went on to become the Special Minister of State. While in that role and in his previous role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Gary as a great advocate for the geospatial sector and was instrumental in the establishment of the 2001–02 Spatial Information Industry Action Agenda (SIIAA), a government-sponsored review into the potential of an emerging industry. The SIIAA also led to the creation of the industry body SIBA in 2003.
The formation of the SIIAA in turn led to the successful bid for the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI), which ran from 2003 until 2018, and has now transitioned into FrontierSI. Nairn became a Director of CRCSI and contributed greatly to its success.
In 2015, Nairn was appointed as an Officer in the Order of Australia for his contribution to spatial sciences, NSW and NT communities, federal parliament and disability support services. In 2018, he was appointed as National Chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award-Australia.
“Gary was someone who was admired by many as a statesman in our industry and the wider community, and renowned for his dignity and composure as he conducted himself through life in so many important and influential roles,” said Tony Wheeler, CEO of the GCA.
“Nairn spent his later years heavily involved with sustainable farming practices through his role as a Director of the Mulloon Institute,” added Wheeler. “He met his recent health challenges with good humour, strength and dignity, along with the determination that he had demonstrated throughout his life.”
“He will be greatly missed by the whole geospatial community and our thoughts go out to his family and closest friends at this time.”
