Vale : Emeritus Professor Stephen Myers
Dr Airdre Grant
Life unfolds for us all in mysterious ways . Sometimes the unfolding is thrilling , other times it brings sobering news . News that makes us reflect on the impermanence and preciousness of life . Stephen Myers was good friend of mine and on the 27th June 2024 , he , passed away in Lismore Base Hospital .
People come into our life at different times and for different moments . Some have a lasting impression . Stephen was a person whose presence in the world had impact , as a friend , mentor , teacher , naturopath and academic and researcher . He was a leader in the world of complementary medicine and instrumental in bringing greater acceptance and inclusion of that modality into the mainstream .
Once the tributes started flowing in , I found that there was much more to the man than I knew . I learned about Stephen ’ s social activism , which started early . He was instrumental in the 70 ’ s when Friends of the Earth was getting established in Australia . His work included tracking the Ranger Uranium Inquiry , being involved in the anti-woodchip native forests campaign in NSW and the first national meeting at French Island in 1974 . Also he was pivotal in setting up Friends of the Earth in NSW .
He related once how his interest in natural medicine began , in those heady days of activism and social change . He had moved to Darwin to work in the environment movement and taken with him some natural medicines and a biochemistry textbook . Over the course of time there he became something of a barefoot healer , doing ‘ footpath ’ consultations . It was then that he knew he wanted to study natural medicine in earnest .
He went to Melbourne to study naturopathy at Southern School of Natural Therapies ( SSNT ) in 1979 . He was profoundly influenced by his studies there , including doing clinical placement under the watchful eye of natural therapies pioneer , Alf Jacka .
Stephen further deepened his commitment to healing , by studying Western medicine at the highly selective , evidencebased program at Newcastle University . He went on to complete a PhD in clinical pharmacology ( in cardiovascular health ). Armed with these hard-earned credentials , he was well placed for the work of designing the first universitybased degree in naturopathy at Southern Cross University in Lismore , NSW . Things began to merge and he became the Head of the School of Natural and Complementary Medicine there . Between 1995-2001 he led the development and implementation of the Bachelor of Naturopathy program which has since graduated 500 colleagues . This was a very exciting moment in the history of natural medicine and one that has changed the lives of many graduates and staff . At last complementary medicines were getting the recognition and resources they need to be taken seriously in the world and Stephen was in the thick of it .
His work continued . He founded Australia ’ s first naturopathic and complementary medicine Research Centre at Southern Cross ( NatMed ) and was also actively involved at NICM Health Research Institute , serving on the Research Committee as an Adjunct Professor and researcher .
Above : This photo was taken at the Friends of the Earth office in MacArthur Place , Carlton , Victoria . Circa 1974 . Stephen is pictured third from left .
Stephen ’ s commitment to the integration and acceptance of complementary medicine in Australia was huge . He just kept plugging away . In his work , he raised $ 8 million in research funding , supervised higher degrees . He did numerous presentations , attended conferences , wrote many publications including three books , 13 book chapters and 145 peer reviewed research papers .
172 | vol30 | no3 | JATMS