Editing Howard Florey (section)

===Australian National University===
In the original design of the city of Canberra, the architect, [[Walter Burley Griffin]] had provided for a university, and had set aside land for it at the base of [[Black Mountain (Australian Capital Territory)|Black Mountain]], where it would ultimately be built.{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=222}}  Sir [[David Rivett]] chaired a committee constituted to investigate the proposed medical research institute, how much it would cost, and how it would affect existing and proposed institutions. Florey mailed Rivett a 19-page proposal on 7 April 1945. Florey envisaged a funding body in Australia similar to the Medical Research Council in the UK. The institute would be headed by a director, and have about one hundred staff, which he calculated would cost about £100,000 ({{Inflation|UK|100000|1945|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}). His estimate of the cost of the building was too low; Florey estimated that £240,000 ({{Inflation|UK|240000|1945|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}) would be enough for a building for 60 researchers, but it would eventually cost almost four times as much.{{sfn|Williams|1984|pp=226–231}}

[[File:Howard Florey Building.jpg|thumb|right|The original [[John Curtin School of Medical Research]], now the Florey Building, at the [[Australian National University]] in Canberra]]
The ''Australian National University Act'' received [[royal assent]] on 1 August 1946.{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=235}} The act created the [[Australian National University]] (ANU), and gave the medical research institute the name "[[John Curtin School of Medical Research]]".{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=241}} [[H. C. Coombs|H. C. "Nugget" Coombs]], an economist and head of the [[Department of Post-War Reconstruction]], accompanied the Prime Minister, [[Ben Chifley]], on an official visit to the UK as his principal advisor. Coombs met with Florey in Oxford in May 1946. They agreed that the success of the new university would depend on the quality of faculty they could attract, and he wanted four eminent scholars to lead the four research schools: Florey for medicine, [[Mark Oliphant]] for physics, [[Keith Hancock (historian)|Keith Hancock]] for history, and [[Raymond William Firth]] for Pacific studies. Each received an official invitation in April 1947, and they were invited to come to Canberra for consultation in December 1947 and January 1948. They would constitute an academic advisory committee, for which they would be paid  £250 ({{Inflation|AU|500|1945|fmt=eq}}) plus £200 ({{Inflation|AU|400|1945|fmt=eq}}) expenses per annum. Since they were all located in the UK, a London office of the university was opened to provide liaison.{{sfn|Mason|2022|pp=324–326}}{{sfn|Williams|1984|pp=238–239}}

Florey never moved to Canberra, but he did accept the position of acting director of the John Curtin School of Medical Research for a five-year term commencing in May 1948 in order to establish it.{{sfn|Williams|1984|pp=245, 263}} [[Brian Lewis (architect)|Brian Lewis]] had been appointed university architect, but Florey hired Stephen Welsh, the professor of architecture at Sheffield University.{{sfn|Williams|1984|pp=250–252}} Outfitting a scientific building with five laboratories full of the latest world-class specialised equipment such as [[biosafety cabinet]]s, cold rooms, [[sterilization (microbiology)|sterilisers]] and [[incubator (culture)|incubators]] was never going to be cheap or simple in a relatively remote location like Canberra, and much of the equipment had to be paid for in scarce US dollars.{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=241}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Building Highlight – John Curtin School of Medical Research – Archives – ANU |publisher=Australian National University |url=https://archives.anu.edu.au/exhibitions/building-australias-national-university-75-years-australian-national-university-50 |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819154225/https://archives.anu.edu.au/exhibitions/building-australias-national-university-75-years-australian-national-university-50 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Professors John Eccles, Adrien Albert, Frank Fenner and Hugh Ennor study the plans for the proposed new John Curtin School of Medical Research.jpg|thumb|left|[[John Eccles (neurophysiologist)|John Eccles]], [[Adrien Albert]], [[Frank Fenner]] and [[Hugh Ennor]] study the plans for the [[John Curtin School of Medical Research]].]]
The Cabinet approved a {{convert|50,000|sqft|adj=on}} building at £3 per square foot in 1947 ({{Inflation|AU|6|1947|fmt=eq}}), but the design Florey and Sanders agreed upon was a {{convert|235,000|sqft|adj=on}} building at £4 per square foot.{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=253}} In 1950, the Cabinet approved  £810,000 ({{Inflation|AU|810000|1950|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) for the building and £200,000  ({{Inflation|AU|200000|1950|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) for equipment.{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=255}} People were also important, and Florey had a fairly free hand hiring his professors. He recruited [[Hugh Ennor]] as his professor of biochemistry, [[Adrien Albert]] as professor of medical chemistry, and [[Frank Fenner]] as professor of microbiology.{{sfn|Williams|1984|pp=247–250}} A. F. Bunker was appointed the laboratory manager, and he outfitted the building.{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=255}}

Florey visited Canberra in March 1953, but he made it clear that he did not wish to continue as acting director of the John Curtin School of Medical Research, nor take up the position of director, although he reluctantly agreed to continue as an advisor.{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=263}} He was pessimistic about the project, writing home to Jennings that "it will be a miracle if this place can be given a real university atmosphere".{{sfn|Williams|1984|p=263}} By this time the project was in jeopardy; while the prime minister, [[Robert Menzies]], supported it, a faction in the Cabinet led by [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Richard Casey]] and [[Wilfrid Kent Hughes]] did not; they were chagrined that it was named after a man they despised, and that it called itself a school when it would not train doctors. Changing the name required amending the act, and this did not occur. In November 1953, Florey was informed that works would proceed as planned.{{sfn|Williams|1984|pp=264–266}}

On 27 March 1958, Florey ceremoniously opened the John Curtin School of Medical Research and received an honorary Doctor of Science degree along with Sir [[Norman Gregg]]. Menzies, Coombes, Ennor and Curtin's family were in attendance.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91246260 |title=Opening Of John Curtin Medical School |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=31 |issue=9,438 |date=26 March 1958 |access-date=19 February 2023 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025104719/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91246260 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was not the end of Florey's association with the ANU. In 1964, he accepted the role of [[Chancellor of the Australian National University|chancellor]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131749892 |title=Sir H. Florey for A.N.U. |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=39 |issue=10,956 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=21 September 1964 |access-date=19 February 2023 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025104721/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131749892 |url-status=live }}</ref> a position he held from 1965 until his death in 1968.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131667234 |title=Obituary Lord Florey of Adelaide |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=42 |issue=11,931 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=23 February 1968 |access-date=19 February 2023 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025104727/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131667234 |url-status=live }}</ref>