Arabic version: آلاف يكرّمون باحثًا في الميلانوما في دار أوبرا سيدني

Thousands have gathered at the Sydney Opera House for a state memorial service for Richard Scolyer, a pioneer of cancer research and a world authority on skin cancer and melanoma diagnosis.

According to ABC News, the public service is due to commence at 11am. It will be broadcast live on ABC TV and streamed on ABC iview, with radio coverage available on 702 ABC Sydney. Public tickets for the service were exhausted within hours of being released on June 29.

Scolyer, the former Australian of the Year and a leading melanoma pathologist, died aged 59 on June 7 after a three-year battle with a Grade 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Over more than 20 years he co-authored more than 800 peer-reviewed publications on skin cancer and melanoma.

Members of the public attended the service to pay respects. Gai Alderson, who had been following Scolyer’s cancer journey, said: “I had a melanoma taken off my ear years ago … and have been involved in the melanoma community.” She added, “I just wanted to come and say goodbye. I only met him briefly to say hello [at a book signing], but I just feel so sorry for him and it’s so terrible.”

The service is being held at the Sydney Opera House and includes notable Australian figures, colleagues, members of the public and his loved ones in attendance. The event will be broadcast live and will also be made available for later viewing on ABC iview on demand.

The memorial recognises Scolyer’s role in advancing cancer research and melanoma diagnosis, his national profile as a former Australian of the Year, and the strong public interest reflected in exhausted ticket allocations and the nationwide broadcast and radio arrangements.

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