UoQ honours millionaire
A BUSINESSMAN who lost a fortune during the civil war in Bougainville has been honoured by the University of Queensland (UoQ).
The UoQ named its latest brain disorder research lab in honour of Peter Goodenough, a civil engineering magnate.
The self-made millionaire donated A$6 million to the university’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) to help find a cure for the disease which took his life.
Mr Goodenough, who lost his life to motor neuron disease (MND) in 2004, bequeathed more than A$6 million to help find a cure for the disease, a group of disorders causing muscle wasting and loss of nerve cells that control speech, swallowing and respiration.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Mr Goodenough developed a multi-million dollar civil engineering contracting company with extensive interests in Papua New Guinea. At its peak, his Bougainville operation employed more than 100 people for road building, trucking and pre-fabricated housing.
He battled MND for about three years before the disease left him wheelchair-bound and unable to speak for the final year of his life.
His trustee said he donated the money to UoQ after spending six months trying to find the best scientists to work on a cure for MND to ensure that no other person suffered from the disease.
In recognition of his contribution to the institute, the largest ever donation to UoQ research from any individual, Queensland minister for tourism, regional development and industry Desley Boyle officially opened the Peter Goodenough and Wantoks Research Laboratory at the Queensland Brain Institute last week.
QBI director Prof Perry Bartlett said Mr Goodenough’s unprecedented support for the institute would allow QBI and Australia to lead the world in discovering new therapeutic treatments for the disease.
Mr Goodenough sued the PNG Government for damages after losing his business during the bloody rebellion in Bougainville.
The court awarded him over K30 million, but the Internal Revenue Commission laid claim to about two third of the money for tax liabilities.
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