Pioneering doctors Richard Scolyer and Georgina Long named Australians of the Year

Two doctors who have saved tens of thousands of lives by revolutionising melanoma treatment – and are now devoting themselves to finding a breakthrough cure for brain cancer as one of them stares down a terminal tumour – have been named 2024 Australians of the Year.

Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, the pioneering co-medical directors of the Sydney-based Melanoma Institute Australia, turned a diagnosis of advanced melanoma from a death sentence into a curable disease for more than half of patients. “Our goal is now to cure the other 50 per cent and, in doing so, hopefully help other cancers as well,” Long said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with the 2024 Australians of the Year, Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

But now, their mission has become personal. Scolyer, 57, was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer last June. The average survival time is 12 to 18 months.

Accepting the award on Thursday night, Long turned to Scolyer and said she hoped “for nothing more than the both of us, in 12 months’ time, to be standing here, passing the baton to the next Australian of the Year”.

Long is overseeing Scolyer’s experimental treatment in the hope of another breakthrough. He has offered himself as a test case – taking on the risk it could make his condition deteriorate more quickly – and has been documenting his journey on social media.

“I stand here tonight as a terminal brain cancer patient. I’m only 57. I don’t want to die. I love my life, my family, my work. I’ve so much more to do and to give,” Scolyer said.

“From where I stand, with the future now measured in months rather than decades, it’s impossible for me to properly articulate how proud and hopeful that this also makes me. We do not let fear hold us back. So I say to all Australians, no matter what life throws at you - seek out opportunities to contribute, to participate, and to action change.”

The pair were presented the award by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a ceremony in Canberra on Thursday night. Community leader Yalmay Yunupiŋu, a linguist and teacher from north-east Arnhem Land, was named Senior Australian of the Year for her four decades of bilingual teaching that inspired Yolŋu children to be strong in their language and culture.

Olympic swimmer Emma McKeon, who became the most successful Australian Olympian before turning 28, was named Young Australian of the Year, while David Elliott, whose dinosaur fossil find while sheep mustering kicked off palaeontology tourism in outback Queensland, was named Australia’s Local Hero of the Year.

Albanese said they showed the best qualities and values of the Australian character.

Scolyer, a world-leading pathologist, was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour, known as glioblastoma, after a seizure while overseas last May. “For me, the decision to take on Georgina’s groundbreaking plan was a no-brainer. Here was an opportunity for us to crack another incurable cancer and make a difference - if not for me, then for others,” he said.

Their world-first immunotherapy treatment – which uses drugs to turbocharge the body’s immune system so it destroys cancer cells – improved the advanced melanoma survival rate from less than 5 per cent a decade ago to more than 50 per cent today.

“We’ve taken everything, every bit of knowledge, from melanoma. And we’ve thrown it at Richard’s tumour,” Long said.

He is the world’s first brain cancer patient to have pre-surgery combination immunotherapy. “It could kill me early or it could make what time I have left less enjoyable, and then there’s also a small possibility that I could be cured,” Scolyer told Good Weekend in an interview last September.

This year’s Young Australian of the Year, Emma McKeon, Senior Australian of the Year, Yalmay Yunupiŋu, Australians of the Year Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer and Local Hero, David Elliott.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“But I’m not up for palliative care. F--- that. I want to push the boundaries. This is a one-off opportunity to try something really experimental. So why not give it a crack?”

Long, 53, last year told this masthead that she had hope: “Using the word ‘cure’ is ­almost seen as childish because, like, what if it doesn’t work? But now, with Richard, we’re going for a cure. That’s the blue sky, the ultimate goal.”

In their acceptance speech, Long and Scolyer called for more courage to push boundaries and hold clinical trials that could benefit all cancer patients. Only 6 per cent of Australian cancer patients were on a clinical trial, they said.

“Research into any cancer can transform the field globally. It is how we will save lives across all cancers. How do we know? Because we have dedicated our careers to saving lives from cancer. But eight months ago, the stakes became personal,” Long said.

They also pleaded for melanoma prevention to be a national health priority. “Our bronzed Aussie culture is actually killing us. So we call on advertisers and social media influencers: stop glamorising tanning, or using it to sell or advertise or entertain,” Long said.

“Our mission is zero deaths from melanoma. To reach it, in addition to prevention, we need a targeted screening program and greater investment in research.”

Chair of the National Australia Day Council, John Foreman, praised their contribution. “Georgina and Richard are leading work which is saving countless lives now and, thanks also to the personal commitment of Richard, will lead to an even more extraordinary impact on the health of people around the world in the future,” he said.

“Yalmay’s long dedication to the education of the Yolŋu people, her cultural stewardship and leadership as a natural teacher continues to bring communities together. Emma shows us, with grace and humility, how commitment, hard work and passion can lead to greatness. She is a true role model for all Australians, young and old, on how to pursue your dreams.

“David, an everyday Queensland pastoralist who discovered something extraordinary, has dedicated himself to sharing Australia’s dinosaur history and the importance of keeping regional Australia viable and sustainable. They are Australians we can all be proud of.”

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