Willis Binding Challenge
In 2020 the annual Victoria Bookbinding Guild Challenge was re-named the Willis Binding Challenge in honour of John Willis, a founding member of the Victorian Bookbinding Guild.
During his nearly forty years at CSIRO, John helped to develop the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer which earned him a significant reputation as an eminent research scientist and earned the Australian Government significant royalties. He also developed a revolutionary nitrous oxide burner to use with the instrument. Because of his expertise in the area, he was awarded travel fellowships that took him back to the UK in 1963 and to the United States in 1967 – 8. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute in 1957 and was the inaugural recipient of their Analytical Chemistry Medal in 1983.
After his return from England, John married Bettina Fletcher in 1953. They had two children. They were happily married for 47 years, although Betty’s last years were blighted by her Parkinson’s Disease which meant that John was her full-time carer. He looked after her faithfully. He was in turn, a devoted son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Aside from his work and family, John’s interests were many and varied. He took up piano lessons again in his late seventies, having learnt as a teen and young man. He continued his lessons until about a year before his death at the age of ninety-six. He took up bookbinding as a hobby after his retirement, feeling he needed “something to do”. He won several prizes at a number of Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria shows. He bound many books for friends and family, particularly enjoying the challenge of binding old books, including prayer books and books “special” to the owner. He also kept an eye out for old piano music that he would obtain, put in a new binding and keep, or give to his daughter, also a pianist. He was a devout Christian, worshipping regularly at St James the Great, East St Kilda. He wrote a history of this church, published a year before his death. He was also a member of the (Anglican) Prayer Book Society (where his bookbinding skills came to the fore re-binding old prayer books). He was also a member of the Port Phillip Probus Club.
John is remembered through the annual bookbinding challenge of the Victoria Bookbinding Guild.
2025 Willis Binding Challenge
The 2025 the Willis Binding Challenge will focus on periodical bindings - a unique craft that requires both structural strength and aesthetic appeal. Participants are asked to bind three years of Morocco Bound to be showcased and judged at the November Meeting.
We’ll be looking closely at three key areas: structure, design, and finesse.
Structure: Your binding should be robust and resilient to withstand the constant wear as a handy resource.Design: The design should reflect the spirit of the Morocco Bound Journal.Finesse: Your binding should have clean edges, careful finishings, and thoughtful material choices that elevate the book into a work of art.
This is a chance to combine practical bookbinding skills with creative interpretation — to craft not just a beautiful object, but a lasting archive.
Who was John Willis?
John Willis was born in 1922 in Birkenhead in England, just across the River Mersey from Liverpool. He came to Australia with his family in 1935. He gained a Master of Science from Sydney University in 1944, winning several medals including the University Medal for Inorganic and Physical Chemistry. In 1946, he returned to England and completed a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry at University College, London. He then returned to Australia and worked for what became the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). In 1961, he was awarded a Doctor of Science for published work, again from University College London.During his nearly forty years at CSIRO, John helped to develop the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer which earned him a significant reputation as an eminent research scientist and earned the Australian Government significant royalties. He also developed a revolutionary nitrous oxide burner to use with the instrument. Because of his expertise in the area, he was awarded travel fellowships that took him back to the UK in 1963 and to the United States in 1967 – 8. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute in 1957 and was the inaugural recipient of their Analytical Chemistry Medal in 1983.
After his return from England, John married Bettina Fletcher in 1953. They had two children. They were happily married for 47 years, although Betty’s last years were blighted by her Parkinson’s Disease which meant that John was her full-time carer. He looked after her faithfully. He was in turn, a devoted son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Aside from his work and family, John’s interests were many and varied. He took up piano lessons again in his late seventies, having learnt as a teen and young man. He continued his lessons until about a year before his death at the age of ninety-six. He took up bookbinding as a hobby after his retirement, feeling he needed “something to do”. He won several prizes at a number of Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria shows. He bound many books for friends and family, particularly enjoying the challenge of binding old books, including prayer books and books “special” to the owner. He also kept an eye out for old piano music that he would obtain, put in a new binding and keep, or give to his daughter, also a pianist. He was a devout Christian, worshipping regularly at St James the Great, East St Kilda. He wrote a history of this church, published a year before his death. He was also a member of the (Anglican) Prayer Book Society (where his bookbinding skills came to the fore re-binding old prayer books). He was also a member of the Port Phillip Probus Club.
John is remembered through the annual bookbinding challenge of the Victoria Bookbinding Guild.
See A Tribute to John Willis - Melbourne Royal Show Display for a showcase of John's bookbinding work.
Past Challenges
2024: Glam Boxes
2023: Bonefolder by Ernst Collin
2023: Bonefolder by Ernst Collin
