Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Dad was a country boy, the eldest son of a Presbyterian minister who graduated as School Captain and Dux of Dubbo High and began his medical studies in the shadow of war. He served in Bougainville, amongst other areas of the Pacific conflist but like many young soldiers, he rarely spoke to his children of his wartime experiences and seemed to his youngest son to want to forget his experiences. He once told me that it took a lot of bullets to kill a man. It must have been a harrowing introduction to his chosen career at such a young age.

Dad never marched or joined the RSL and by the time i was old enough to understand events, he was firmly established in a successful medical career. Dad was highly regarded by his peers for his diagnostic skills and pioneered research into human growth hormone and its potential in treating growth abnormalities in children. He also enjoyed learning foreign languages and colleagues joked that his French and Italian speaking patients sometimes found his pronunciation amusing.

Dad was a keen sportsman who taught me to swim, sail and ski and was a dedicated and beloved husband to his wife Lorraine and his four children. He died of a smoking related illness aged 65, a habit picked up during his military service.