The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research

After almost four decades at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, John Reynolds has left the building — leaving behind an extraordinary legacy.

John’s Woolcock story began in an unexpected way. Originally trained as a scientist, he applied for a position as a research assistant. He didn’t get the job. The person appointed lasted less than a year, while John went on to become one of the longest-serving and most important members of the Woolcock team.

When John first joined, the Institute of Respiratory Medicine was a very different place. There were around 10 people, computers stood alone on desks, every computer had its own dot-matrix printer, research data was entered using punch cards, and there was no internet, email or Wi-Fi. A portable computer was about the size of an esky.

John grew with the organisation and, along the way, became the person who made its technology work.

When founder Professor Ann Woolcock asked John to take something on, his approach was simple: he would find a way. Whether the answer was essentially “yes, I can do that”, “give me a moment”, or “I’ll get back to you”, it was never “no”. That practical, can-do attitude became one of his greatest strengths.

Over the years, John supported the Woolcock through an extraordinary period of change — from standalone computers and fax machines to the interconnected, technology-dependent research organisation we know today.

He was there through every move: from the University of Sydney’s Blackburn Building, to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Glebe Point Road and finally Macquarie Park. He helped establish the IT infrastructure needed to support everything from hundreds of staff computers to the Woolcock’s specialist clinic and sleep laboratory.

For many years, John was effectively a one-person IT department, supporting hundreds of users and keeping the Woolcock running on what could charitably be described as a very tight budget. As Executive Director Brett Toelle put it at John’s retirement celebration, John often seemed to hold the Woolcock together with “sticky tape”.

But behind the humour is something much more significant.

John has worked with every Woolcock Executive Director and at every location the Woolcock has occupied. He has supported generations of researchers and staff, quietly and behind the scenes. He may not appear on research papers or grants, but his contribution has been woven into our for more than four decades.

As Brett said at his retirement celebration: John has made a remarkable and sustained contribution to the Woolcock and has helped steward it from where it was in the 1980s to where it is today.

We thank John for his extraordinary service, his ingenuity, his loyalty and, above all, his unwavering willingness to find a way.

Congratulations on a remarkable Woolcock career, John. We wish you a very happy and well-deserved retirement.