Franklin describes his father’s life as one of advocacy, adventure and insight – often lived against the backdrop of social and economic turbulence, within complex and diverse cultures around the world.

It was a journey he shared with his wife, Tess, through a kaleidoscope of times, places and people. But it was a journey not without hardship; with Frank’s job, the family moved often, packing up their lives to start again in new and unfamiliar places across the globe.

Before arriving at UQ in 1950, Frank worked in isolated Western Australian goldfields, and later in colonial Fiji and war-torn Malay, where he conducted geological surveys and wrote mining law.

When appointed as the founding professor of mining and metallurgical engineering at UQ on 20 February 1950, Frank brought with him a spirit of internationalism and equality that drove much of the activity under his leadership.

The first faculty member he appointed to his fledgling department in 1951 was a woman, who was to work with him as a metallurgist. He also encouraged a niece to study metallurgy, who became the first female to graduate in this field at UQ in 1957. For a male-dominated profession, these developments were groundbreaking at the time.

He was also a strong advocate for international students and was a major force in establishing International House, which remains a vibrant hub of diversity and cross-culture learning at UQ’s St Lucia Campus.

Frank’s principal legacy was the momentous impact he had on establishing mining and metallurgical engineering at UQ. The Frank White building was the home of mining and metallurgy at UQ for more than 25 years. The building has since made way for the construction of the new Andrew N. Liveris Building, which will be UQ’s hub for chemical engineering, but his work and legacy will live on within the precinct.

Another one of Frank’s legacies was the experimental mine for teaching and research at Indooroopilly, which has become the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre – the largest Australian research centre of its kind. As a teenager, Franklin would accompany his father on visits to the mine, where he would explore the labyrinth on Finney’s Hill to learn about rock pressure, drainage, groundwater, ventilation and illumination.

In 1965, Frank was sought out to rebuild North America’s oldest school of mines at McGill University in Canada, and the family relocated to Montreal. There Franklin undertook medical studies at McGill University – after spending two years studying biomedical sciences at UQ – and worked his summers as a first-aid attendant in Ontario mines and smelters, where he began to develop his interests in environmental and occupational health.

Franklin subsequently became a recognised expert in public health, and has been well-published in the health sciences for his work in disease control and capacity building for public health education, research policy and program development. During his career, he received a Breakthrough Award for Creativity from the Academy for Educational Development, as well as a Medal of Honor from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).