R. E. Jeffery joined the Society (then the Sydney Technical College Chemical Society) in 1921 and retained his membership through to his death in 1966. He was active in the affairs of the Society for many years, being a member of the Publications Committee for the Journal and Proceedings of the Sydney Technical College Chemical Society from 1927 to 1929. He was President in 1929. Upon his death, the University of New South Wales Chemical Society was generously bequeathed with funds by him to apply to the advancement of knowledge, preferably in the field of food or biological chemistry. The Jeffery Lectureship has been established to honour his wish.
A complete list of the previous Jeffery Lecturers is given below.
| 1981 | R.G. Buttery,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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| 1983 | J.E. Casida,
University of California, Berkeley
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| 1985 | N.A. Porter,
Duke University, North Carolina
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| 1987 | I.C.M. Dea,
Food Research Association, Surrey, U.K.
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| 1989 | G. M. Blackburn,
Sheffield University
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| 1991 | B.O. Fraser-Reid,
Duke University, North Carolina
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| 1993 | L.N. Mander,
Australian National University
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| 1995 | P. Dowd,
University of Pittsburgh
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| 1998 | Y. Thebtaranonth,
Mahidol University, Thailand
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| 2003 | W. B. Tolman,
University of Minnesota
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