Born (1944) and bred in the 'Deep North' (Brisbane, Queensland), Bob gained all three of his degrees at The University of Queensland before moving overseas for post-doctoral study at the University of Alberta (1971-2, Professor R.U.Lemieux) and at Imperial College, London (1972-5, Professor Sir Derek Barton). An appointment to the Department of Organic Chemistry at UWA then followed, with subsequent promotion to Senior Lecturer (1981) and Associate Professor (1991).