b'PeopleNewsof geophysical researchers. His energy and achievements were recognised at the ASEG Conference in 2019 with the award of ASEG Honorary Membership. Phil Schmidt who interacted with Joe on CSIRO-related projects over most of those 30 years notes the award citation Many in the industry believe that Joes leadership of AMIRA International has been instrumental in setting the direction within geoscience research in recent decades and affirms that many of his colleagues would agree.Joes story is also a quintessential account of opportunities provided by Australia, and benefits returned to Australia, by our enlightened immigration opportunities. Joe was born into a subsistence-level rural family in a small village close to the base of Mt Etna, Sicily. He survived early childhood thanks to the efforts of his mother walking three kilometres each morning to milk a cow to obtain the necessary sustenance for her new arrival. In 1960, when the young Giuseppe Cucuzza was eight, the family migrated to Australia and became part of the fruit and vegetable trade at the Victoria Market and via the family shop in the inner suburb of Clifton Hill. In a decade of schooling in his new land of the young and free, Giuseppe became Joe, andGOLFers lunch October 2022. Bottom right: Joe Cucuzza and (anticlockwise) Asbjorn Christensen, Michael gained entry to Melbourne UniversityAsten, Lindsay Thomas, Phil Harman, Neil Hughes, Jovan Silic, Chris Moore, Phil McInerney, Jim Macnae, to study geophysics, while also doingMark Dransfield.weekend shifts at the family shop. Joefamily business because his father hadhave that recording, but the lessons he was a standout student at both schoolhealth problems. imparted and opportunities he created and university and progressed to befor others will serve as a fitting memorial.a member of Lindsay Thomas 3rd yearAfter gaining his honours degree in geophysics class in 1973. geophysics, Joe then spent 12 of his youngA natural talent for organisation and professional years as both geologist andmaintaining contacts meant that in the His classmates in student years includedgeophysicist with first Australian Anglo- last decade Joe became the go-to person Arthur Koelle, John Milovanovic andAmerican Corporation and then Comalcofor arranging regular solar solstice and Dave Isles. Dave recalls Joe being a solidAluminium, working on both mineral andequinox dates for lunch meetings for academic performer but most notable forpetroleum projects (even in those days,retired and semi-retired geophysicists, the highly animated advice he frequentlythe aluminium company was aware ofknown as GOLFers (Geophysical OLd gave to his peers. He was first to readthe importance of securing gas reservesFartsnothing to do with swinging a the gravity meter on the survey of thetowards its energy requirements forclub). He could always be relied upon to Mt Cotterell volcanic vent, and first insmelting). In 1989 he joined AMIRA andchoose a suitable bottle of red wine for the queue for the teleprinter terminal towe all benefitted from his endeavours. Hethe occasion. The photo above, which model the results (young geophysicistsdidnt cease studying while innovating,was taken in October 2022, shows that may have difficulty in imagining a worldcoordinating and managing at AMIRA; hethe skillsand the associated Aussie lacking laptop computers, Wi-Fi, andgained an MSc in geology from ANU inmateshipstayed with him until the end.internet connections linking fieldwork1992 and a Master of Business (Enterprise with company databases). On a seismicInnovation) from Swinburne University ofWe have many reasons to remember refraction camp around the floodedTechnology in 1998. Joe with gratitude for his leadership, his Pyramid Hill area, student Joe quicklyfriendship, and his good humour. We mastered the power auger and theBob Smith recently worked with Joe onextend our condolences to his wife Elly, geophone setup. He was arguably therecording histories of people and eventsdaughter Serina and son Damien, and brightest spark in the group, but afterin Australian geophysics extending backtheir relatives and families.qualifying to do an honours year andabout 50 yearsnow archived on the having a Lindsay Thomas project linedASEG website. He tells us that next onMichael Asten up, Joe took a year off to manage thethe list was to be Joe himself; we dontmichael.asten.monash@gmail.com11 PREVIEW FEBRUARY 2023'