University mourns Agent General

Alumni

The University of Adelaide has lost one of its most distinguished graduates with the untimely death of South Australia's Agent General, Maurice de Rohan OBE, aged 70, who lost a battle with cancer last month.

"Agent General de Rohan was an outstanding and distinguished graduate of the University who helped us enormously in recent years with building our alumni chapter in London," Vice-Chancellor Professor McWha said.

"His death is a sad loss for both the University and the State, and we pass on our deepest sympathies to his family."

Earlier this year Professor McWha presented Agent General de Rohan with a Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the University, the community and his field of work.

Maurice de Rohan graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Technology in 1960 and embarked on a spectacular career.

He was founding partner of Kinnaird Hill de Rohan and Young, which became Kinhill Engineers, and later Brown & Root Asia. In 1976 he moved to the UK and was appointed Agent General in January 1998, a London-based position with a role of encouraging investment, trade and tourism to South Australia.

At the time of his death Agent General de Rohan was Patron of the Combined UK Chapters of South Australian University Alumni Associations and regularly provided tangible assistance in supporting chapter activities.

He was tipped to be South Australia's next Governor after the retirement of Her Excellency Marjorie Jackson-Nelson in mid 2007.

Story by Candy Gibson