b'PeopleNewsVale: David Alan Falvey (19452022)From 1972 to 1974 Dave worked briefly at the RAN research laboratory and Shell as an exploration geophysicist. These were followed by eight years as a senior lecturer in geophysics at the University of Sydney. Throughout this period he continued work on basin analysis and petroleum exploration, and made another extended visit to Lamont.In 1982 Roye Rutland appointed Dave as Chief of the Marine Geosciences & Petroleum Geology Division, and thats when Daves ability for getting things done materialised. His vision was for the BMR to undertake marine geoscience with its own ship, and he had already written a report to the peak Science and Technology Advisory Committee outlining his plan.It turned out that when the Labor Party was returned to power in 1983, it had included marine science investment in its policy platform. The BMR only received part of the funding requested, but it was enough to charter a ship and fit it out. Dave travelled the globe to look at eight ships, and selected a purpose-built Norwegian craft called Rig Seismic. It arrived in Australia in November 1984, just 15 months after Cabinet approved the funding. The first cruise began in January 1985, and the Continental Margins Program was born. A magnificent outcome accomplished in so short a time. Daves next achievement was to get Australia to join the International Ocean Drilling Dave Falvey Program, and this happened in 1988.In the meantime, his family expanded Australia lost one of its most influentialClass 1) in geology and geophysics/ with the birth of Katherine and Patrick, geoscientists when David (Dave) Falveyapplied mathematics. but sadly their mother died from cancer died earlier this year. in 1984.In 1972 he was awarded a PhD at the When Dave entered a room, his presenceUniversity of New South Wales. His PhDIn 1989 Dave was promoted to head-up was immediately felt. Whatever the issue,thesis, entitled The nature and originthe Marine Geosciences and Petroleum he would address it with enthusiasmof marginal plateaux and adjacentGeology Group, where he developed a and conviction. He would also searchocean basins off northern Australia,national programme of research, onshore for a better way to do anything if theformed the basis for his subsequentand offshore basin analysis and evaluation opportunity arose. If your argumentswork on marginal basins and petroleumof petroleum resource potential. Before were weak, he let you know very quickly.exploration. he took up this position, he had married Although he was very competitive, heDuring his time as a PhD student, DaveGillian Tidey, also a geoscientist, in 1986, had a delightful personality with a wickedparticipated in several research cruisesand professionally, he was now seeking sense of humour. He appreciated good art,with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN),new challenges overseas.good wine and food and, together withand spent nine months at the Lamont-Gill, demonstrated wonderful hospitality. Before moving on we should just Doherty Geological Observatory. At thismention his interchange with the then Lets go back to his early life. time, Lamont was one of the foremostTreasurer Paul Keating, and the floating research institutes studying Plateplatform issue.Dave was dux of Canterbury Boys HighTectonics. When in New York he married School in 1963, and graduated fromgeoscientist, Margaret Kaye, whom heApparently Keating had been Sydney University in 1967 (Honours,met at the RAN Research Laboratory. advised that the Northwest Shelf 15 PREVIEW JUNE 2022'