Dear Jude, Emily and Alice

We are writing to you to help celebrate the life of your husband and father, Richard Sporik. We wished we could have been with you today. On behalf of myself and my colleagues, Cliff Hosking and Leone Thiele, who came to know Richard well during his stay in Melbourne, we would like to record some of our memories of this quiet, unassuming but gentle man.

I first met Richard in the early 1990’s in the United States when he was working with Tom Platts-Mills at the University of Virginia. He had already established an enviable reputation because of his pioneering work in identifying house dust allergy as an important cause of childhood asthma.

In the mid-1990’s he came to Melbourne. We were fortunate to recruit him to assist in our studies. He rapidly proved himself to be a popular and important part of our research team. He endeared himself to our group because of his integrity, his unassuming nature and somewhat laconic wit. I remember our first meeting in our broken-down Melbourne terrace house in which we had achieved an international reputation as the Department of Allergy for the Royal Children’s Hospital. Richard, uncharacteristically, was rendered almost speechless as he cast his eye around the crumbling ceiling and thread-bare carpet and observed “it is interesting the different conditions that some people have to work under”. Over the next 12 months he distinguished himself by publishing several papers of international importance on various aspects of asthma, food allergy and eczema.

Richard moved to Sydney to further his studies on allergy and asthma but we continued to collaborate and were planning additional studies at the time his illness was diagnosed.

When Richard left the Department of Allergy for Sydney we fondly remembered a gentle man of modesty, integrity and intelligence who was innovative in his investigations into children with allergic diseases.

During his subsequent long illness which he battled with courage and dignity, these qualities remained undiminished. Whenever I passed through London we tried to meet and I will always remember with great affection the occasion when I visited your home and shared Sunday lunch with you all. I will miss Richard as will his many friends and colleagues from around the world who came to respect and love him.

Children with allergic disease from around the world have had their lives enriched by Richard’s insightful analysis.

Jude, Emily and Alice you have every reason to be very proud to have been part of the life of such a distinguished man. Our thoughts are with you today as you celebrate Richard’s life.

With best regards

David Hill
Director, Department of Allergy
Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne

Cliff Hosking
Emeritus Immunologist
Department of Allergy
Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne

Leone Thiele
Departmental Manager
Department of Allergy
Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne March 28.2008