LH Martin
Professor Sir Leslie Martin was an eminent physicist who became a key higher education adviser to the Menzies government. Sir Leslie was Lecturer and Associate Professor in Natural Philosophy, and then Professor of Physics at the University of Melbourne (1927-59). After leaving the University of Melbourne in 1959, Sir Leslie became Chairman of the Australian Universities Commission, a position held until 1966. He oversaw a rapid expansion of Australian higher education, including the commencement of five new universities. In 1961 he became Chairman of a major inquiry into the future of Australian higher education, the Committee on the Future Development of Tertiary Education in Australia, which became known as the Martin Committee. The Committee’s advice led to a formalised ‘binary divide’ between the universities, as research and teaching institutions, and other higher education teaching institutions, mostly colleges of advanced education.
After leaving the AUC, in 1967 Sir Leslie became Professor of Physics and the first Dean of the Faculty of Military Studies at the Royal Military College Duntroon. He retired in 1971. The College established the Sir Leslie Martin Prize, which has been awarded every year since 1985, and from 1986 by the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). The prize is awarded for ‘distinguished performance by a First Year Officer Cadet in First Year Physics’ from all streams, that is, all Physics, Engineering and Arts students who take Physics I.
Among his many other posts was Commissioner of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (1958-1968).
Leslie Martin was knighted in 1957 to honour his outstanding contributions to science.