- Author
- Pfennigwerth, Ian
- Subjects
- Biographies and personal histories, Obituaries
- Tags
- None noted.
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- June 2011 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
When the Australian National Maritime Museum was setting up its very impressive standing naval display in 1988, Bob was engaged as a consultant, where his assistance in matters of history, tradition and structure are fondly remembered. In 1999 Bob answered the call from the Naval Historical Society of Australia, and showing his calibre he shortly took over as Editor of the Review. In less than two years he became its President and set to work helping the Society out a difficult patch. This he did and stepped down from the position in 2003, his work complete. However, Bob retained his passion about the need to encourage further research and writing on our naval history and he was the driving force behind the establishment of the NHSA’s Journal of Australian Naval History in 2004, which he also edited for two years. He contributed an article on the difficulties of getting HMCS Cerberus from the UK to Port Philip Bay in the March 2007 edition.
Bob had a wide range of interests outside the navy and writing about it, including music from classic to jazz, singing Gilbert & Sullivan operas, mucking around in boats, travel – especially to France and Italy – distilling spirituous liquors, and gardening. He was a bon vivant who enjoyed preparing and cooking fine food as well as consuming it. He had a full life and lived it to the full, and his encyclopaedic knowledge and spirit of fun is sadly missed by his family and his many friends.