Clarissa De DERKA (13 September 2002, aged 83 years)

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Clarissa gained her PhD in literature and philology at the University of Budapest, Hungary. She was also an outstanding horse rider. Near the end of WWII she managed to leave just ahead of the invading Russian armies. She and her husband, Dr Lajos Huzella, migrated to Australia where initially Clarissa worked on pastoral properties to be close to horses and riding. Her husband was among the group of continental doctors recruited to the Territory's postwar health service. He was posted to Kainantu which gave Clarissa the opportunity to ride at the nearby Highlands Agricultural Experiment Station at Aiyura. After service at Kainantu, Dr Huzella returned to Sydney to do further study.

Clarissa went to Port Moresby in 1952 as librarian of the Dept of Public Health. Under her leadership the library rapidly became a well recognised research library containing worldwide reference material for local and visiting medical specialists and scientists. Her marriage ended in divorce and she reverted to her maiden name. In Moresby her home was a venue for entertaining many well-known specialists visiting from overseas. When the University of PNG was established, Clarissa was invited, on secondment, to be accession librarian to help assemble the basic collections required by the new institution. On retirement Clarissa lived mainly in Rome, Nice and Oxford, but also travelled widely. She returned to Australia every few years to maintain contact with her friends. She is survived by her cousin in Canberra and his family.

Gabriel Keleny (Una Voce - March 2003)