Architect, industrial designer, solar consultant.

Currently Derek can be described as being retired and a solar utilisation researcher experimenting with low-energy and low resource retrofitting of existing houses. Derek has been a practicing designer since the early 1950’s. A qualified architect, Derek was a founding member of the NSW Chapter of the Society of Designers for Industry, which subsequently became the Industrial Design Institute of Australia and eventually the Design Institute of Australia. He was the first Honorary Secretary / Treasurer of the NSW Chapter and was a close associate of many of the founding members of DIA such as Fred Ward, Ron Rosenfeldt, Colin Barrie, Charles Furey, and Carl Nielsen.

Derek was also an initiator of the Design Council along with Ron Rosenfeldt and was recognised by the Institute and awarded a Fellowship in 1970. His field of practice was in Furniture and he worked in conjunction with Fred Ward and also worked in the field of design of lighting and street furniture.

Derek received his diploma in Architecture in Manchester in the UK, and was an associate of the RBIA, RAIA, and a Fellow of RAIA.

Derek has lectured in Architecture at UNSW and worked on the design of ANU. He was a former President of the Canberra Art Club and Founder and Chairman of the Cultural Clubs of Canberra [Griffen Centre] and Founding member of the Craft Association of the ACT.

Derek has maintained a continuing engagement with design and education practice and was recognised again in 1986 when he was awarded a Life Fellowship of the Institute.

Since 1977, upon leaving ANU, Derek has been engaged heavily in disability design and in environmental/ ecological/ sustainability design [products and systems], involving inventions, research, prototypes, and product designs. Derek was awarded a member of the Order of Australia in 1980 for work on technical aid to the disabled.