Ron Rosenfeldt LFDIA was one of the founding members of what is now the Design Institute of Australia, and played a pivotal role in the establishment and formation of the design profession in Australia.

Ron completed his formal training at the Melbourne Technical College (now known as RMIT University) and then trained in the Industrial design studios of the ‘Myer Emporium’. The Second World War intervened and after discharge from the AIF he rejoined Myer at its furniture production centre. Here Ron built the platform for his furniture career with responsibility for the design of contemporary furniture and contact furniture, which included equipment and furnishings for offices, hotels, shop, hospitals and institutions. This was followed by a move into private practice with Walter Gherardin to establish a dual practice of industrial design and architecture, covering a wide range of design briefs.

Ron’s field of experience included a wide variety of domestic consumer appliances and office equipment, scientific and electronic equipment, engineering products, building material, plastics, furniture, graphics and packaging, exhibitions and plate ware, gold and silver. His practice was responsible for the design input for items such as the ‘Vulcan’ range of products ‘Ogden’ garden sprinklers, ‘Brownbuilt’ office equipment and filing cabinets, ‘Sellotape’ dispensers and more.

He was one of the original members of the Society of Designers for the Industry and after many years in 1955 he was elected President, retaining this office until 1958 when the Society became the Industrial Design Institute of Australia – a forerunner of what we know today as the Design Institute of Australia. He was elected the first President of the new Institute and served as Federal Secretary, giving continuous service on Chapter and Federal Councils, and was again elected Federal President in 1968. He was a founding member of The Industrial Design Council of Australia and was a tireless worker for the recognition by Industry, Commerce and Government of industrial design as a profession, and the role of industrial design in Australian manufacturing.

He served as a member of the Melbourne Olympic Games Industrial Design Exhibition Committee of 1956 and was a part time lecturer in Design at the School of Architecture, Melbourne University and part time lecturer in the Industrial Design Department at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. As a well recognised practitioner in his field he was the author of articles on industrial design in national and trade journals and was highly sought after to talk on radio and television and for presentations to trade and professional groups. He served on numerous judging panels for national design competitions and in later years he was an invaluable member of the Past President’s Board.

Ron was awarded a DIA Life Fellowship in 1971.