Max Raupach, 1925-2019

My grandfather Max Raupach died at the age of 93 on the 21st May 2019. Here is a tribute I wrote for him.

When I think of my grandpa, Max, I think of his love for his family and his curiosity about the world. He loved his family very much. His curiosity drove his excellent science, I'm sure, but it also led to a large array of interests and activities that were ever-changing and constantly updating, because his fascination with technology meant he was always up to date.

I think of him talking science with my dad, or programming in Fortran on a laptop in the study. I think of his interest in other cultures and ways of thinking, from haiku writing and zen books, to painting and drawing, to the precise ordering of brush-strokes in Japanese characters. The curious scientist was always present -- on occasion he checked my photographs with callipers to see if they obeyed the golden ratio.

I think of him growing fruit and bottling it, crawling under the house to retrieve a dusty bottle of red wine, and showing us, as kids and adults alike, the mysterious shed with its chemicals and printing presses. He was endlessly supportive of all his family's endeavours and always curious to know what we were up to. My grandfather Max was multi-faceted; a scientist, an artist, and a thinker. He was good, and we were lucky to have him, and I will miss him sorely.

This is a painting of his that he gave to his son, my father, when Dad was very ill. It shows Encounter Bay, in South Australia.