Tolly.

Kevin Tolhurst graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry in 1976 and forged a stella career in fire research.

Sadly, Tolly died suddenly on 5 October 2023 at Mallacoota after a community bushfire meeting.

In the early 1980s Kevin led the ground breaking Fire Effects Study Area (FESA) project in the Wombat State Forest. The trial which ran for nearly 30 years was subdivided into five treatments with – a control, short-rotation spring, short rotation autumn, long-rotation spring, long-rotation autumn burning. The aim of the study was to determine the impacts of repeated low-intensity prescribed fire on fauna, flora, soils, fuels, tree growth and defect development in foothill forests. It remains one of the few long-term studies of its kind.

Kevin completed a Doctor of Philosophy in 1996 and during his career authored more than 200 scientific papers. He held the title of Associate Professor in Fire Ecology and Management in the Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science at the University of Melbourne.

His research led to the development of the PHOENIX RapidFire bushfire spread model, the Wiltronics fuel moisture meter and the Overall Fuel Hazard Assessment tool.

Each fire season, Kevin made himself available at Incident Management Teams, and State Co-ordination Centres during fire emergencies, including Black Saturday in 2009.

Chief Fire Officers from FFMVic and the CFA routinely sought Kevin’s advice and he undoubtedly had a major influence on Victoria’s fire management policies.

He was often called as an expert witness and spent hundreds of hours appearing at court cases and inquests including the Linton Coronial Inquiry (1998), Canberra Coronial Inquiry (2003), the House of Representatives Inquiry (2003), the Parliamentary Inquiry into the 2007 fires in Victoria and the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

Kevin was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015. And in 2016, was honoured with the International Association of Wildland Fire’s ‘Ember Award’ for excellence in wildland fire science.

Tolly sadly died only a few weeks before receiving the N. W. Jolly Medal, which is Forestry Australia’s highest and most prestigious honour.

In his retirement Kevin and his wife Rosemary travelled Australia in their campervan and remained active in their local Creswick community and church.

But Kevin was an unusual academic. Not only a practical forester and brilliant bushfire scientist, Tolly also had a gentle and uncommon knack of communicating complex concepts in ways people could easily understand.

Equally at home in a lecture room or in the bush, Kevin is seen here in his element, wearing his green overalls and generously sharing his deep knowledge at a planned burning “masterclass” in the Albert Street bush near Creswick in November 2014.

Forests, fuel, weather, topography, heat, dust, dirt and smoke… all in real-time… aided by a box of matches…. together with his insightful commentary give just a glimpse of Kev’s unique gift.

There is an ancient proverb often attributed to Confucius.