Frank Alfred Moorman Lees AM MBE FRSA

Frank Alfred Moorman Lees AM MBE FRSA (1925- 2021)

We extend condolences to the family of Honorary Life member, Frank Lees AM MBE FRSA, who passed away on 5th October 2021. Frank was born in 1925 in Melbourne. He attended Ivanhoe State Primary School and then went to Northcote High School. After completing four years of high school, he was enlisted for World War II. Frank returned to Northcote High after the war to complete his matriculation and went on to study Mechanical Engineering at The University of Melbourne. Frank joined The Graduate Union in 1958 and was on The Graduate Union Council from the mid1950s; and became the 13th President of The Graduate Union from 1999 to 2005. As a representative of the Faculty of Engineering graduates, Frank made major contributions to the University through his association with The Graduate Union. While stationed in Japan with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Frank developed a great love for that country’s culture, writing two books of Haiku in his later life. In the last weeks of World War II, while stationed at Balikpapan in Southern Borneo, Frank wrote and received more than 700 letters. A letter dated 16th August 1945 from his father Alfred, which told of how he joined 350,000 people in the CBD to celebrate the end of the war, with community singing and dancing was chosen as the most interesting letter in Australia Post’s Top 200 Letters of a Nation competition in 2009. Frank also helped develop the book, A Short History of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne, published in 2002. Frank maintained contact with The Graduate Union and visited Graduate House in February 2019 with wife Jeannine. Frank gifted two of his Shalford Press publications to the Graduate House Library - a book of poems, Haiku Earth Water Air and a personal history of his time in Occupied Japan, Tales of Post War Japan.

A tribute from Irene Jablonka: As a current member of the Committee of Convocation I received the sad news of Frank’s passing. I met Frank at Graduate House in 1996 at Graduate House. Frank had retired from the Committee of Convocaton by the time I became a member in 2008. Frank was a gentle, caring person. He found a role for everyone. I recall him walking me to my car in Leicester Street after an event in the Asia Centre, some distance away. I asked if it was out of his way. He said that he was going to Graduate House to sign some cheques. I went to my car and I saw him swipe his entry pass at the Graduate House front door. If I had not asked, I am sure he would not have told me he was going to do some work. I recall the homely atmosphere that he and Jeannine, created at Graduate House. Jeannine decorated many spots on the walls with her paintings. I believe that one of her paintings still hangs there. Frank told me that when he was in London, he noticed that in some spaces between buildings, or in laneways, there were ramps that went into carparks. This gave him an idea and so Frank and the Graduate House Council of that time offered to sell the land behind Kidd’s Warehouse, for ground level access to and from the proposed University of Melbourne car park. It was proposed that the actual car park would be under the Bowling Club and the park between Leicester St and Berry St. The University agreed and Graduate House stayed at Leicester Street. So, it came to pass. We now have the University car park between Leicester St and Barry St with entry/exit via ramps in Church St. My sincere sympathy to Jeannine, his daughters and other family members.