  W. N. ('Chris') Christiansen was an innovative and influential radio
astronomy pioneer. The hallmarks of his long and distinguished career in
science and engineering, spanning almost five decades, were his inventiveness
and his commitment to, and success with, large-scale projects. These projects
were the outcome of his innovative skill as physicist and engineer. Paralleling
this was his equal commitment to forging strong international links and
friendships, leading to his election as Vice-President of the International
Astronomical Union for the years 1964 to 1970, as President of the
International Union of Radio Science, URSI, from 1978 to 1981, and subsequently
as Honorary Life President in 1984, and as Foreign Secretary of the Australian
Academy of Science from 1981 to 1985. Major subsequent developments in radio
astronomy and wireless communications on the global scene stand as a legacy to
Chris's approach to his work and to the development of those who worked with
him.
