Speculum - University of Melbourne

Above all, it was carried out with a humane
appreciation of what was the best and kindest
course in the interest of the patient.
His operative work was purposeful, unhurried,
calm and never accompanied by the
irritable actions and comments, such as
unhappily not infrequently, are the accompaniments'
of some surgeons' operations.
The greater part of his life was spent in
civil affairs, but he gained outstanding distinction
in two world wars. While he was
medical superintendent he joined the
A.A.M.C. and when war broke out he
volunteered for the A.I.F.
In the first world war he was first a medical
officer in a field ambulance, and as such
was at the landing at Gallipoli. Later, when
the A.I.F. went to France, General Howse,
V.C., took him as his right hand man at
headquarters in Horseferry Road. There
he was worked terribly hard but his good
personal relations with medical officers and
other ranks made him invaluable to his
chief. His health began to suffer and reluctantly
General Howse let him go back to
service in France as a surgeon. His administrative
work at Horseferry Road headquarters
was in every way most efficient,
and for it he received the C.M.G. decoration.
This experience stood him in good stead
in the second world war when he was called
upon to organise the medical services of the
new and rapidly expanding Royal Australian
Air Force.
The great success of this work has been
acclaimed on all sides. He was the ideal
man for this post. Not only did he know
what had to be done and how to do it, but
his personality and prestige made things
easy for its medical service in relation to
other parts of the Air Force. Furthermore,
in his relations with the naval and army
medical services, his friendly personality
and tact made real inter-service difficulties
impossible.
As a boy and student he took part in all
forms of sport, and was good at football,
tennis and cricket. Like all good cricketers
he never lost interest in the game. Later he
became a first rate golfer and took a leading
part in promoting competitions between the
metropolitan hospitals and in the British
Medical Association. He was always ready
to promote any action that would lead to
friendly relations between individuals and
sister institutions.
It was natural that he should be chosen
early in his professional life to be a member
of the council of the Victorian branch of the
British Medical Association. Throughout
the rest of his life he gave a great part of
his time to the affairs of the Association. He
• became President of the Victorian branch
and later became President of the Federal
Council of the Association.
He also took an active part in the affairs
of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons,
and in due course became its President.
In all these activities his sane, practical,
well-balanced advice, and the atmosphere
of cordial co-operation, which
characterised any meeting over which he
presided, contributed tremendously to the
advancement of these bodies and the benefit
of their members.
He was a happy and fortunate man.
Happy in his amiable nature and fortunate
in the great mental ability which accompanied
his likeable character; happy and
fortunate in the choice of his profession and
in the great accomplishments which stemmed
from this choice; happy and fortunate
that his great gifts and benefits to his fellow
men and women were widely and warmly
recognised in his lifetime; happy and fortunate
in his close and affectionate relationship
with his surviving brother Leslie; and
most wonderfully happy and fortunate in his
marriage and in the comradeship and affection
of his remarkably brilliant sons and
daughters.
W.G.D.U.