WILDE, Dudley Keith, AM (1930 – 2020) was the son of Clifford [Joe] Wilde, a sawmiller who later served with the Royal Australian Navy in World War 2, and Mavis Sheehan. Among primary schools he attended was Oakleigh where he joined the band leading to a life-long love of music. His secondary schooling was at the Industrial High School, one of only three public high schools then in Brisbane. It was located in what had been Smellie’s Building at the corner of Edward and Alice Streets, complete with a sprung dance floor which encouraged him to take up ballroom dancing. In his final year he was school captain, strongly recommended for his character, leadership, industry and reliability.
After he matriculated in 1949, he enrolled in the part-time architecture course at the Central Technical College, graduating in 1955 with a Diploma of Architecture from the University of Queensland. His contemporaries included Ian Charlton, Danny Nutter, Barry Barnes and Shane Ryan. In a final year display of homestead models at the Johnstone Gallery, his solar design was commended by Karl Langer.
Dudley was already a member of the RAIA, joining as a student in 1953. He registered as an architect in 1956 and spent almost all of his career with Goodsir & Carlyle, and its successors, both before and after working at Surfers Paradise for a short time c.1958 with David Bell when the Chevron Hotel was documented.
After the premature death in 1964 of Harold Carlyle, Dudley and Ken Baker became partners in the firm, Goodsir Baker & Wilde. Apart from working throughout Queensland, the practice also had an office in Port Moresby undertaking work at Lae.
Important projects for the partnership included buildings for Engineering and Social Sciences at the University of Queensland, hospitals, suburban depots for the RACQ which won awards, and more recently the Queensland State Archives (winner of an FDG Stanley award but being progressively scarred by arbitrary internal changes). The practice office was for a long time was at Swann Road, St Lucia but after Ken Baker and Bill Goodsir retired, it relocated to Adelaide St and later Macarthur Chambers.
Dudley served as both Queensland Chapter President and in 1988-9 National President of the RAIA. He served on numerous committees of the Institute. For over 30 years he lectured part-time at QUT and in 1991 was accredited as a mediator, serving of two occasions as Queensland Chapter president of the Australian Institute of Mediators.
Many students and young architects passed through the office to their benefit, including Gordon Holden, Peter Forrest, Laurie Jones, Bruce Goodsir, Rex Addison, Peter Richards and Eloise Atkinson and two Ian Whites.
Dudley was twice married, to Dundas Wilkinson in 1951 and Judy Hansen in 1978.
In 1992 in the Queen’s Birthday honours list, Dudley was awarded an AM for his services to architecture, a rare accolade amongst Queensland architects.
At Dudley’s funeral, his daughter Marion remembered him as a loving husband, loyal friend and a proud father. Ian White recalled him as a connoisseur, a brilliant negotiator and a great story teller, but also as an erratic golfer.
The Institute sends warm wishes to Dudley’s family, friends and many associates.
Eulogy by Don Watson LFRAIA
