The Star: September 06, 2018
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> 19<br />
Local<br />
News<br />
News<br />
Now<br />
Surgeon’s surprise link to Irish insurrection<br />
• By Sophie Cornish<br />
CHRISTCHURCH surgeon<br />
Professor Frank Frizelle was<br />
receiving an international award<br />
in Ireland when he discovered<br />
family links to the 1916 Easter<br />
Rising.<br />
Prof Frizelle travelled to Dublin<br />
in July to receive one of the highest<br />
honours, an honorary fellowship<br />
from the Royal College of<br />
Surgeons in Ireland.<br />
Every award recipient received<br />
a citation written about them,<br />
from a college council member.<br />
“You never know what they are<br />
going to say until they say it,” said<br />
Prof Frizelle.<br />
“He (Professor Paul Burke)<br />
found a lot of stuff out that I<br />
never knew about; such as my<br />
great-grandfather had written<br />
to the Irish Government in his<br />
role as some sort of administrator,<br />
suggesting that they let go<br />
the leaders of the 1916 rebellion,<br />
however, they ignored him and<br />
shot them, eventually helping<br />
turning the tide of the popular<br />
feeling for independence,” he said.<br />
Prof Frizelle’s, great grandfather,<br />
Nicholas Frizelle, was<br />
county manager at a town named<br />
Wexford.<br />
He sent a letter to Michael<br />
O’Rahilly, also known as <strong>The</strong><br />
O’Rahilly, an Irish republican and<br />
nationalist who was the founding<br />
member of the Irish Volunteers<br />
in 1913.<br />
In the letter, he informed him<br />
the Wexford County Council had<br />
adopted a resolution requesting<br />
the Lord Lieutenant, who was<br />
Lord Wimborne, to cancel the<br />
orders for the imprisonment of<br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
the Irish Volunteers, who were<br />
held after the Easter Rising.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Easter Rising, was an<br />
armed insurrection in Ireland<br />
during Easter Week, April 1916.<br />
It was launched by Irish<br />
Republicans to end the British<br />
rule in Ireland and establish an<br />
independent Irish Republic, while<br />
the United Kingdom was heavily<br />
engaged in World War 1.<br />
Prof Frizelle was unaware about<br />
his great grandfather’s letter and<br />
only knew that his parents have<br />
Irish heritage.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fellowship he received<br />
recognises his global leadership<br />
in surgery.<br />
It comes on the back of groundbreaking<br />
research from Prof<br />
Frizelle and his Otago University<br />
and Canterbury District Health<br />
Board research teams, who recently<br />
identified a toxic bug they<br />
Thursday <strong>September</strong> 6 <strong>2018</strong><br />
Fire rages, homes at risk<br />
DISCOVERY: A council member from the Royal College of<br />
Surgeons in Ireland Paul Burke (left) surprised Christchurch<br />
surgeon Professor Frank Frizelle during a citation where<br />
he revealed to Prof Frizelle his family has links to the 1916<br />
Easter Rising. Prof Frizelle’s great-grandfather Nicholas<br />
Frizelle (above, middle) was the family member involved.<br />
believe may cause bowel cancer.<br />
It could lead to a life-saving<br />
vaccine or an early detection test<br />
for the disease.<br />
Prof Frizelle said he was<br />
“delighted and privileged” to be<br />
recognised with the award which<br />
came “out of the blue.”<br />
He is a surgeon at Christchurch<br />
Hospital, Christchurch Colorectal<br />
in St Albans, editor in chief of <strong>The</strong><br />
New Zealand Medical Journal and<br />
head of university department of<br />
surgery at Otago University.<br />
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