Published: May 21, 2011 - 12:45AM>

Emeritus Professor Bernard Mills AC, FRS, FAA, DSc(Eng) ''stands as a giant of 20th-century astronomy''.

Professor Miller Goss, director of the Very Large Array and the Very Long Baseline Array from 1988 to 2002, says in both the Australian and international contexts, Mills will be remembered as an influential pioneer in the evolving field of radio astronomy.

In 1948, Bernard Mills moved into the newly formed radio astronomy group within the CSIR (later the CSIRO) and started working on new ideas for instruments. His revolutionary innovation of multiplying the fan beams of two long antennae at right-angles to give a pencil beam was initially resisted, then tested in a small prototype, with immediate confirmation. By 1954, the first Mills Cross telescope at Fleurs (now Badgerys Creek), west of Sydney, was completed.

The final catalogues produced with ''the Cross'' had 2200 radio sources, published as the MSH catalogue by Mills, Bruce Slee and Eric Hill in 1958-61. It was the first survey of the southern radio sky and had a major impact in establishing Australia's credentials as a leader in the new science of radio astronomy.

Bernard Yarnton Mills was born on August 8, 1920, in Manly, the only child of Ellice Mills, an architect who emigrated from England before World War I, and his wife, Sylphide Dinwiddie, a dance teacher from New Zealand.

He was educated at the King's School, starting a year early and skipping a year, and was dux in 1936. He entered engineering at the University of Sydney at 16 via a scholarship. A couple of years earlier, his father taught him chess. Bernie soon beat him with ease.

He joined the university chess club, which consumed a considerable part of his time, and became one of the top players in Australia.

While playing in the university's chess A team in 1939, Mills met Lerida Karmalsky. They married after his final exams in 1942. They had three children, Eric, Miranda and Deborah (now Shamynka). Lerida died in 1969 and the following year, Mills married Crys, who brought Victor and Laurel to make a family with five teenage children within three years of each other.

After university, Mills worked at the CSIR on radar research and development under Joe Pawsey in the receiver and display group - excellent training for his later work in radio astronomy.

He was awarded the ME (H1) in 1950 for his comprehensive internal report, A Million-Volt Resonant-Cavity X-ray Tube, on work that had been secret during the war. In 1959, Mills became a doctor of science in engineering. The following year, he was appointed reader in physics at the University of Sydney, enticed over by Harry Messel, who raised funding for a new ''Super Cross'' with 1.6-kilometre arms to take the Mills Cross concept to the next level.

Mills reverted to his engineering background to design and build the telescope near Bungendore, 30 kilometres east of Canberra. The official opening by prime minister Robert Menzies was in 1965, the year Mills was appointed professor of physics (astrophysics) at the university. The telescope was completed in 1967.

The Cross operated for 11 years. The major achievement was the Molonglo Reference Catalogue of 12,000 radio sources and many pulsar surveys. More than half of the known pulsars at the time were discovered with the Mills Cross (and the first association of a pulsar with a supernova remnant).

The Cross completed its work in 1978. It was then reconfigured as a synthesis telescope using only the east-west arm of the original cross and renamed the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST). The MOST carried out many successful research programs and is now being upgraded as a pathfinder for the SKA, the Square Kilometre Array telescope.

Mills gathered many honours. In 1959, he was elected fellow of the Australian Academy of Science; in 1963, fellow of the Royal Society; and in 1967, he shared the Britannica Australia Award for Science.

In 1976, he was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia but refused to accept it from then governor-general John Kerr, receiving it after Kerr resigned. During the wait, he referred to his honour as ''ACDC'' - Companion of the Order of Australia, Conscientiously Declined.

He was retired by the university in 1985 and awarded the Grote Reber Medal for Radio Astronomy in 2006.

Bernard Mills is survived by Crys, Eric, Miranda, Shamynka, Victor and Laurel.

Bernard Mills was born on 8 August 1920 in Manly. His father, Ellice Mills, was an architect who had migrated from England before the First World War. His mother, Sylphide Dinwiddie, was a dance teacher from New Zealand.

He was educated at the King's School, and at the age of 16, was awarded a scholarship to study engineering at the University of Sydney. He completed his degree in 1942, and was awarded first class honours in 1950 for his thesis A Million-Volt Resonant-Cavity X-ray Tube presented for his Master of Engineering degree. In 1942 he married Lerida Karmalsky, and they had 3 children. In 1969 Lerida died; the following year he married Crys, who had two children of similar age to Mills' children.

In 1948 he commenced working with the CSIR's newly formed radio astronomy group, where he had the idea for what became known as the Mills Cross radio telescope; the first Mills Cross Telescope became operational in 1954. In 1959 he became a doctor of science in engineering.

In 1960 he was appointed reader in physics at the University of Sydney, where he developed the concept for the "Super Cross". In 1965 he was appointed professor of physics (astrophysics). The Molonglo Cross Telescope became operational in 1967.

He was retired by the university in 1985.

Awards and honours:-

1959 Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1963 Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)

1967 Shared the Britannica Australia Award for Science.

1976 Appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), but refused to accept it from then Governor General Sir John Kerr, waiting until Kerr's resignation before accepting.