Life and Family

Roger was born to Elsie and Bill Eyland in Moreton-in-Marsh Hospital, Gloucestershire, England, on the 18th May 1939. He died on 1st January 2018 at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife Ann, children David and Catherine, brothers Peter and Simon, daughter-in-law Sarinya, and grandchildren Lily and Will.

The Bill Eyland family migrated to Australia in 1949 prompted by the loss of their second son Julian during the very cold winter of 1947. They were sponsored by Bill’s Uncle George Downes, a citrus grower at Kulnura west of Gosford. They eventually settled in Cronulla as Bill had found work in Sydney.

Peter and Roger attended Cronulla Public School. It was here that Roger’s extreme myopia was noticed and treated for the first time. This was so severe that later when he joined the staff at Sydney University he was initially rejected by the State Superannuation Board but this decision was overturned on appeal. The rules were governed by requirements for jewellers. Recently he underwent laser surgery and he greatly regretted that he had not done so earlier.

He attended Sydney Boys High School from 1952 to 1956. His favourite subjects were Mathematics and ancient Greek. On matriculation, he enrolled in Engineering at Sydney University but transferred to the Science Faculty in third year, graduating with first class honours in Pure Mathematics in 1960. At that time, the postgraduate scene differed from today with few scholarships and with research masters degrees rather than course work programs. On completion of a Master’s degree, Roger won one of two University of Sydney travelling scholarships which led to doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. The third year of his program was completed as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen.

He married Ann Whight, a fellow tutor in Pure Mathematics at Sydney University, in January 1965. They spent three happy years living on Deeside eight miles west of Aberdeen. There were wonderful stories to enjoy both old and new–buses painted yellow so they would be seen in the snow, North Sea fish so different from the warm water fish of Sydney, unusual food like haggis, excellent whisky, and no mountains between Aberdeen and the Russian Steppes.

In August 1968, Roger returned to Sydney to a lectureship in Pure Mathematics at his old university. He loved the University, its people and its central purpose of research and teaching. Like Chaucer’s Clerk, ‘gladly did he lerne and gladly did he teche’. Not only did he teach and research, he spent many years as a committee member and publications officer of the Mathematical Association of New South Wales important for assisting the teaching of mathematics in NSW secondary schools.

He and Ann lived on campus at Wesley College from where David was born in January 1970. Just after Easter that year, they moved to Abingdon Road, Roseville where Catherine was born two years later in 1972. The family has lived at Roseville ever since with a few short gaps, the longest of which was seven years from 1990 to 1996 when Roger, Ann and Catherine lived at the Women’s College where Ann was Principal. David was serving in the Army by this time.

As a relief from the social demands of college life, Roger took up bell ringing at St Phillips, Church Hill. This became a great hobby for him that gave him much enjoyment over the years.

Roger had a great love of books, and the house in Roseville looks and feels very much like a library. Many of the books are histories, possibly prompting Catherine and David to study history for their Bachelor degrees, rebelling against their parents’ mathematical leanings. In the last few months of his life, Roger decided to reorganise his books. In spite of suffering the symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s, he persisted in moving piles of books from one part of the house to another. At one point, David found him at the computer attempting to negotiate the Berkelouw’s booksellers’ website. He was determined to locate and buy a complete copy of C.E.W. Bean’s Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 – “We don’t have a copy of that one”.

Roger’s love of music was reflected in his love of the sung ritual of the Church of England. At Cambridge he joined St John’s College of the world famous choir. Roger delighted in attending Chapel regularly enjoying that remarkable choir and its companionship. Ann’s visits from London concluded with Evensong at John’s. On arrival at the local Episcopalian Church in Aberdeenshire, Roger and Ann found that they were expected because the John’s Chaplain had announced their impending arrival.

Roger’s life was shaped by his family’s Christian belief. In his own life, he displayed the fruit ‘of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control’. We his family will very much miss his liberality of mind, his gentleness of soul, his stoicism in the face of physical suffering and his patience with our impetuosity. He fought his illness but understood better than we did the nature of the end race. On New Year’s Day, he slipped quietly away.

Ann, David and Catherine Eyland