NZer of year Avery to deliver lecture
Award-winning scientist, businessman and philanthropist Sir Ray Avery will speak in Nelson this month.
Sir Ray is to give the Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ) 2011 Pickering Lecture "Innovation Through Observation" at the Suter Art Gallery on August 29.
The Pickering Lecture series is hosted annually by selected IPENZ branches.
Sir Ray is the founder and chief executive of award-winning development agency Medicine Mondiale. He was born in England to violent parents and grew up in orphanages and on the street. However, he finished school and discovered a love of science.
Sir Ray arrived in New Zealand in the 1970s and the "can-do attitude" of New Zealanders struck a chord. He became a founding member of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Auckland Medical School and a technical director of Douglas Pharmaceuticals.
Sir Ray's life was changed after meeting the legendary ophthalmologist Fred Hollows on his deathbed. Mr Hollows urged Sir Ray to "stop making money out of sick people and do something f....ing useful with your life".
He has since designed a number of low-cost medical devices which are saving and changing lives in the world's poorest communities.
Sir Ray has received numerous awards for his work, including being named the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year 2010 and the Blake Leadership Medal 2010.
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