Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Published Biography

“Blood, Sweat and Fears”, ISBN: 978-0-64692-750-3, Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australia who served in WW1. 2014

Additional Biography

Early Life

Donald (Don) Augustus Dowling was born on the 7th July 1896 at Farina, (on the edge of the desert, Farina sits within the Lake Eyre Basin and it is situated on the old alignment of the Ghan railway, 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lyndhurst and 55 kilometres (34 mi) south of Marree). His parents were James Patrick Dowling and Anne Margareth Crosby (also recorded as Annie or Ann and Margaret or Margret).

Don’s siblings were Evaline Annie (b 1880), William Cameron (b 1884), an unnamed sibling (b & d 1887), Walter James Patrick (b 1889, d 1909), Mary Rose (b 1891, d 1892), James Francis (b 1893) and Alexander Joseph (b 1898, d 1899).

Don’s father, James, joined the mounted police aged 21 years and after a time at the barracks in Adelaide he served at Georgetown in 1878 then was stationed in charge of Warooka, Port Wakefield, Fowler’s Bay, Streaky Bay, Farina, Angaston, Kadina, Mount Barker and Port Pirie. Sgt. James Dowling retired from the force in 1914 on the eve of his promotion to sub-inspector, owing to ill health.

Schooling

Donald commenced his schooling with the St Joseph’s Convent at Kadina. He sat his Primary Examinations in June 1908 having been a pupil of the Sisters of Mercy at Mt Barker, SA. His father was then transferred to Port Pirie and in December 1908 Don sat further examinations and was awarded an Exhibition to attend the Adelaide High School.

At Adelaide High School he passed eight subjects in the Junior Examinations in December 1909. In December 1911, Don passed the Senior Examinations and in December 1912 he passed the Higher Public Examinations and qualified for a Government bursary.

Don was a member of the First Eighteen (football), the First Eleven (Cricket) and a member of the AHS Rowing Club. He competed in the Public Schools Championship as stroke for the fours at the Henley-on-Torrens in December 1913. In 1912 and for half of 1913, Don was a co-editor of the AHS magazine. The AHS photographs below are from the AHS magazine.

Don passed the Higher Public Examinations again in December 1913, this time coming 14th in the General Honours list (and eight of the South Australian students. Don won a Government Bursary to study Science for four years. Don gained honours in all five subjects, chemistry, biology, German, algebra and trigonometry.

Don name is also recorded on the Christian Brother’s College WWI Roll of Honor, however it is unclear when Don attended the college.

Pre War University

Don commenced studying at the University of Adelaide in 1914 but joined up for WWI on the 14th September 1914 and did not complete his first year of study.

Pre War University Sport

Football
Don played B Grade football for Adelaide University in 1914 and was a member of the B Grade premiership team that year.

Boat
Don joined that Adelaide University Boat Club and became a member of the University’s eight. He represented Adelaide University at the 1914 Intervarsity rowing in Seat 4.

World War I

Don enlisted on the 14th September 1914 and his WWI experience is well detailed in the ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ biography.

Don’s brother, James Francis Dowling also served in WWI (SN 20213). He was a bank clerk and he enlisted on the 6th August 1915. James was a Battery Quartermaster Sergeant who served in France and Belgium with the 31st Battery, 8th Field Artillery Brigade. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and was mentioned in Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig’s despatches on the 1st January 1919. James returned to Australia in late 1919. (see http://ww1sa.gravesecrets.net/dh---do.html).

Don was present at a parade for returning ANZACs in Adelaide in November 1918 and he was accorded an enthusiastic reception at the Manoora Railway Station (north of Saddleworth and near the southern edge of the Clare Valley) when he arrived there to see his parents on the 24th November 1918.

Post WWI University

Don returned to Adelaide University in 1919 and commenced to study medicine. His MB BS was awarded in 1923.

Post WWI University Sport

Boat

Don rejoined the Adelaide University Boat Club. In 1920 Don was a vice captain of the University Boat Club and in 1922 he was on the Intervarsity Boat Race committee.

Lacrosse

After WWI, Don played A Grade Lacrosse for Adelaide University from 1919-1923. He was part of the team which were runner-up for the 1921 A grade premiership and who won the premiership in 1922.

Don played Intervarsity Lacrosse from 1919-1923. Adelaide University won the Intervarsity in 1920 and 1922. Don was awarded a Blue for Lacrosse in 1920.

Sports Association

Don was on the General Committee of the Sports Association (1922-23 to 1924) and he was a member of the Sports Association’s annual ball committee (1923). He was a track steward at the Adelaide University Sports in 1923 and 1924.

Career and Family Life

Don was registered as a fully qualified medical practitioner in January 1924 and became a resident medical officer at the Adelaide Hospital that same month. After completing his residency, Don was in private practice. In February 1927 Don went on a brief visit to Melbourne before departing for Great Britain and the Continent. On returning to Australia Don joined the Commonwealth Health Department and was based at Port Adelaide.

Don became engaged to Mollie Ida Rees, the third daughter of Mr and Mrs George A Rees of Finch Street, Malvern, Victoria in October 1928. Sadly, Don’s father, James Patrick Dowling did not live to see Don’s wedding as he passed away at Manoora on the 19th December 1928. Don and Mollie married at St Joseph’s Church, East Malvern (Melbourne) in January 1929.

Don and Mollie then moved with the Commonwealth Health Department to the Quarantine Station at Fremantle, Western Australia. Their first child, a daughter, Jill Dowling, was born at Fremantle, WA on the 6th February 1930.

In February 1930, when there was a smallpox scare in WA, Don was the acting Chief Quarantine Officer. Don and Mollie had a six week holiday in the eastern states in June and July of 1930, possibly to introduce their baby daughter to relations. While in WA, Don and Mollie lived at the corner of Gill Street and Canning Road, East Fremantle.

In February 1932, Don was transferred from Fremantle to Sydney and was given a farewell at the Fremantle Town Hall. The Dowling family broke their journey east at Manoora where they visited Don’s mother.

In April 1933, Don was awarded a Diploma in Public Health from the University of Sydney. Don and Mollie’s second child, a daughter, Anne Cameron Dowling, was born on the 6th July 1933, in Sydney. In 1933, the family were living at 27 The Crescent, Vaucluse, NSW.

Don made a private visit to Adelaide in November 1933, this trip would have been to visit family prior to his departure for Thursday Island (39 kilometres (24 miles) north of Cape York Peninsula in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia). Don departed from Sydney on the 6th January 1934 on board the ‘Marella’ which was bound for Singapore to take up his duties as Port Medical Officer. Mollie and the girls had joined Don before May 1934 when Mollie’s parents travelled to Thursday Island to visit the family. The family lived at Hastings Street, Thursday Island.

In February 1937 Don and family travelled from Thursday Island to Cairns where they stayed for a short time at the Strand Hotel. They then motored from Brisbane to Adelaide for a holiday. They were in Adelaide for Anzac Day 1937 and Don marched with his old unit, the 27th Battalion. Don returned to work in May 1937 and was based at Brisbane. The 1937 Electoral Rolls give Don and Mollie’s address in Brisbane as 7 London Road, Clayfield. In about 1939 Don and Mollie’s son, Anthony Donald Cameron Dowling was born.

World War II

Don enlisted for WWII with Service Number Q108310 on the 6th October 1941 at Enoggera, Queensland. He held the rank of Captain. His WWII record is not yet open to the public. It appears that Don only served briefly as he was discharged on the 11th December 1941. He continued his work with the Commonwealth Health Department and was concerned with the potential impacts of malnutrition.

Post WWII

Don was promoted to the position of Senior Medical Officer and was stationed in Canberra from 1946-48. In October 1947 he travelled to Darwin to check medical defence measures to prevent the possibility of cholera spreading to Australia after a serious outbreak of the disease in Egypt. Don and Mollie’s elder daughter, Jill, attended Clayfield College, Brisbane and she was dux of the college in 1947. Jill and Anne were both competitive swimmer and Jill later played intervarsity hockey.

Don was then appointed the Chief Medical Officer at Australia House, London. He was in London in 1949 when many Australians were required to undergo quarantine as a result of a passenger onboard the P&O Liner ‘Mooltan’ contracting typhoid.

The family had the opportunity to travel through Norway, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany while based in London. Don was then appointed a vice-president of the World Health Organisation and in May 1951 he spoke at the fourth World Health Assembly at Geneva.

Mollie and the three children (Jill, Anne and Tony) returned to Australia onboard the Strathaird in March 1951 after two years overseas. They came home ahead of Don as the girls wanted to commence their professional careers. Jill commenced studying physiotherapy and Anne commenced nursing at the General Hospital. The family lived at Hampton Court, Clayfield (Brisbane, Qld) until Don returned to Australia in October 1951. Don travelled to Brisbane via America then took up his role as Deputy Director in the Commonwealth Health Department, Queensland.

In May 1952 Don undertook an official visit to North Queensland including visits to Mackay, Bowen, Townsville, Cairns and Thursday Island. His role covered such topics as health insurance, outbreaks of child gastro, the prevention of foot and mouth disease, tuberculosis and swine fever, the prevention of fraud in relation to free medical services and the promotion of immunization. Don is pictured below having an X-Ray at the opening of the Chest Clinic on George Street, Brisbane.

By 1954 the family had moved to 75 Yabba St, Ascot, Qld and in February that year Don and Mollie’s daughter, Jill, gained her Diploma in Physiotherapy from the University of Queensland. Jill then went to work at the Rockhampton Hospital, Qld.

In 1954 Don was dealing with such issues as radiation and rats onboard ships entering Australia, foreign weeds and grasses entering on the wheels of airplanes, the prevention of diseases entering Australia via insects on airplanes and with humans and animals entering Australia.

In 1959 Don travelled overseas as manager of the Australian Swimming team returning from Johannesburg to Perth, Australia on Qantas flight SA242/34 on the 10th April.

Don was awarded and O.B.E. in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 1962.

Sadly for Don and his children, Mollie Ida Dowling passed away on 21st February 1968, aged 66 years. She was buried at the Albany Creek Memorial Park, Bridgeman Downs, Qld.

Don became the Australian Swimming Union President. He was the president of the ASU in March 1965 when Dawn Fraser and three other female swimmers from the 1964 Australian Tokyo Olympic team were banned from competitive swimming for alleged misbehaviour at the games.

Don and Mollie’s son, Tony, became a doctor. He was living at Crosby Road, Hamilton (Brisbane) in 1972 and later practised in New South Wales.

Death

Donald Augustus Dowling passed away of a myocardial infarction on the 8th March 1979, aged 83 years. He is commemorated at the Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery and Crematorium, Bridgeman Downs, Qld.

Author EE (Beth) Filmer

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.