The Late Don Boyd
The late Don Boyd once summed up Rex Gilroy. "I was driving west from Sydney one night in 1980, and having a late night look at the Three Sisters, decided to drive over past the Gilroy's home near the Skyway. It was 3 am or thereabouts and as I drove slowly past, I could see him working at something, probably typing his newspaper articles. The following night I was driving back, and once again drove past his house for the fun of it, and there he was, the lights burning away around 3 am again. I don’t think he ever rests. He is always working on something, perhaps a new theory. When we have been out in the bush on searches, he's always up front taking the lead, telling us to hurry up. He never misses a beat and I don't know where he gets the energy. You can't knock his dedication and enthusiasm, he's an inspiration to anyone who knows him, and I know there are even academics who pay him grudging admiration.
[Don Boyd died in May 1999 from bone cancer. Through his publications he gave young upcoming, struggling researchers a podium through which they could publish their work. One of these was Rex Gilroy.]