Emeritus Professor Colin Nettelbeck was a beacon in the French cultural, academic and linguistic world of Victoria over many decades.

Speech of Pr. Colin Nettelbeck – Palmes académiques de Kerry Mullan 2018

French professor at Monash University before become the A. R. Chisolm Professor of French, Head of the French Department at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Melbourne, Colin taught and inspired many Australian Francophiles. He was a visionary and enthusiastic advocate of French studies in Victoria, establishing the French Trust Fund at the University of Melbourne and cofounding the Institute for the Study of French Australian Relations in 1984. He was the very dynamic President of the Alliance Française de Melbourne for many years where he kept coming , long after his retirement as President, to animate the French Jazz nights as he was an eminent piano player.

His extraordinary contribution was recognized by the French Republic when he was bestowed the insignia of Knight of the Legion of Honour.

Colin was a charming, witty man of great intellect and insatiable curiosity; he touched the lives of many. He will be sorely missed.

He’s survived by his wife Carol and three children Alexander, Jennifer and Bridget to whom we are sending our heartfelt condolences.

Source: University of Melbourne

Source: Alliance Française de Melbourne

May He Rest In Peace.