Born in Perth in 1933, Syd grew up in Fremantle. At five, he developed polio and was severely disabled for years. His father, a meteorologist, quit his job to ‘rebuild’ him, using a gruelling exercise regime including swimming, and later, boxing. Syd hated the idea of being considered a ‘cripple’ and met the challenges well.
Syd considered his teenage years idyllic; fishing and camping with his father and brother. During this time, family friend and surveyor Frank Goyder regaled young Syd with stories of exploration. In his last year at school, Kirkby swapped his arts curriculum to science, and then chose surveying as a career.
Syd qualified as a surveyor in 1955 and was appointed to the position of Surveyor at Mawson Station in 1956, at just 21 years old. He joined National Mapping’s Melbourne office in August 1959 after wintering at Mawson base with an Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 1956-57. During the summer of 1956-57, Syd and his companions Bill Bewsher (1924-2012) and Peter Crohn (1925-2000) were the first ever people to see the full extent of the Prince Charles Mountains. These major mountains extend in an arc over 380kms in Mac Robertson Land well to the south of Mawson base, and were named in 1956 after HRH then Prince Charles, now King Charles III. Syd and his two companions were the first people to penetrate the Prince Charles Mountains when they undertook their one-thousand-mile dog sledging journey that extended over a period of three months. Syd again wintered in Antarctica in 1960 and 1980 and participated in further Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions during the summer seasons of 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1964-65.
Syd retired from National Mapping’s then Dandenong office in October 1984 and eventually settled with his partner Jude at Flaxton on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland. Over the years he received numerous awards and recognitions. For his service in Antarctica Syd was awarded the Polar Medal in March 1958 and he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in January 1966. In 1997, Syd was awarded the Gold Medal of the Australian Geographic Society and in 1999, Syd was nominated by The Australian newspaper as one of the ten greatest Australian adventurers of the 20th century. In June 2018, Syd was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to surveying, particularly in the Antarctic, to polar exploration, research and mapping expeditions, and to professional scientific societies. Several geographical features in Antarctica were named for Syd Kirkby by Australian and other Antarctic place names authorities, namely: Kirkby Glacier; Kirkby Head; Kirkby Shoal; and Mount Kirkby.
Syd’s life was a remarkable testament to human endurance. Despite facing numerous challenges, he persevered and made a lasting impact on surveying and mapping across Australia and the Australian Antarctic Territory. Our thoughts are with his family and closest friends during this difficult time. He will be greatly missed.
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