John Hamilton Bowie: An appreciation

This special issue of the Australian Journal of Chemistry is dedicated to Professor John Bowie on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday on July 16, 2003. Through this collection of papers, John's students, collaborators, colleagues, and friends gratefully acknowledge his diverse and important contributions to organic chemistry. This introduction is divided into two parts: firstly a summary of John's research career([1]) and secondly an 'interview' with John([2]) to provide insights into his career and his thoughts on a variety of issues.