FAVILLA, Ian
Service Number: | O43394 |
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Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
Born: | Wallaroo, South Australia, 9 May 1940 |
Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
Schooling: | Kadina and Adelaide High School, South Australia |
Occupation: | Medical Practitioner |
Died: | 27 August 2016, aged 76 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
Memorials: | Kadina Memorial High School Korea/Malaya/Vietnam Honour Roll |
Vietnam War Service
1 Jul 1962: | Involvement Flight Lieutenant, O43394 | |
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14 Jun 1966: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, O43394 | |
1 May 1967: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, O43394 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Annette Summers
FAVILLA Ian MBA MB BS BMedSc (Hons), DAppSc DO FRCS FRACO
1940 - 2016
Ian Favilla was born on 9th May 1940 at Wallaroo, South Australia. He was the second of four children of Lewis Douglas Favilla and Dorothy Hier nee Besanko. He has an older brother Kym and two younger sisters, Judith and Rosalind. His father served in WW2, enlisting in the army in 1942, and mainly saw service in small ships in and around New Guinea. His father also worked with his brothers, Ralph, and Fred in a shipping and stevedoring company owned by their uncle, Thomas Davies. His mother was a teacher in Wallaroo, she was a great supporter of community events such as the Cornish Festival, and involved in the Country Women’s Association, the Methodist Church and choir. Favilla first went to school at Wallaroo Primary, with his mother as his teacher, followed by Kadina High School, where he was head prefect in his Leaving year. He left Wallaroo in 1957, to attend Adelaide High School, for his Leaving honours year, to qualify for entry into medicine at the University of Adelaide. He boarded with his mother’s sister and her husband, Lettice and Arch Forbes, in Rosslyn Park. During this time his aunt encouraged him to resume his violin playing and he performed in the 1st violins of the school orchestra. He was also a keen rower and rowed in the 2nd eight for Head of the River with his friend Phil Harding. He commenced his study at the University of Adelaide, in 1958, and gained a scholarship at the end of that year. He graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Science (Hons) in Biochemistry, in 1962 and MB BS, in 1965. During his university years, Favilla, married Margaret Jean Williams, a physiotherapist, on 21st September 1963. He met Margaret on a blind date, at a dinner dance on the Port River, when his original date was unable to attend. They have three children; Joanne Marie, Marcel Louis, and Stuart Raphael.
Favilla was called up in the ballot for National Service, in 1958, when he first started university, and was appointed as a cadet officer with the University of Adelaide Squadron in the RAAF. He was required to complete some National Service training, at RAAF Base Wagga, NSW, in 1960. He completed his medical studies in the RAAF undergraduate scheme from 1964 to 1965 at the rank of pilot officer. He originally applied for entry into the Royal Australian Navy, but was rejected due to colour blindness. Later in life he prepared a submission to the government for blue colour to be increased in intersection green lights to assist all people with red/green colour deficiency. He joined the permanent Air Force, on completion of his resident year at the RAH, for his return of service obligation. He was promoted to flight lieutenant and posted to RAAF Base Richmond, in 1966. Favilla, immediately applied for a posting to serve with the RAAF contingent in Vung Tau, Vietnam. He arrived in Vung Tau Air Base on 12th June 1966 as a senior medical officer.
The base was administered by the US army and the airfield was shared by US Army, US Air Force, RAAF, Air America and other Government owned or private aircraft. A 400 bed US Army hospital along with living quarters for many personnel occupied a large area. Favilla looked after approximately 300 personnel at Vung Tau, which included, the 35th Squadron (6 Caribous), 9th Squadron (8 Iroquois helicopters) This also included, a base support flight and a Detachment Air Tasking Operation Centre, and another medical officer and staff at Phan Rang where 2nd Squadron (Canberra Bombers) were stationed, in all approximately 600 personnel. Vung Tau airbase became the centre for aeromedical evacuation for all casualties from South Vietnam. The Australian Task Force was situated 15 kilometres north of the base with more staff in the Vung Tau area and some in Saigon. Battle casualties were admitted to US 36th Evacuation hospital on the Vung Tau air base and minor injuries were treated at 2 FdAmb situated 3.5km from the base. During his time in Vietnam, 494 patients were evacuated, in nine months, by 37 missions, from 1st July 1966 until 31st March 1967. The largest single evacuation of 51 patients occurred in February 1967, 48 of whom were litter cases. He was responsible for determining whether patients nominated by medical staff at the army field hospital were indeed fit for air travel and for co-ordinating the evacuation of these patients. He personally accompanied three flights back to Australia during that time. Favilla recalled that his most onerous task during his time in Vietnam was certifying the deaths of eighteen soldiers killed in the battle of Long Tan. He was moved by their youth and fitness and life ending wounds. He felt anger towards the padre who would only attend the men of his faith. When he asked the padre why he could not bless them all as they had all given their lives for their country, he was told the padre did not want to offend anybody. Many RAAF personnel volunteered their off duty time to give the Vietnamese people some medical assistance.
During his time in Vietnam, he with Lieutenant David Welch, US naval adviser to the Vietnam navy, conducted 20 visits to Vietnamese villages, treating between 100-200 villagers each time over a three hour period, for infections and food deficiencies. Hygiene and sanitation was extremely important and bubonic plague was reported, in 1967, among the Vietnamese population in the Vung Tau area, so rat trapping and rubbish clearing activities were intensified. However, there were lighter moment in his time in Vietnam, and Favilla tells of the temporary toilet block on the base, used by Vietnamese and US army personnel, which became a major problem. Many requests for improvement or replacement did not eventuate and he hinted it could blow up. So on the next stormy night, with the help of a few sticks of gelignite, it was demolished. When Favilla was preparing for his final trip home to Australia he went to have his hair cut by a Vietnamese barber. All was looking just right and maybe that’s what the barber thought too, as he finished off around his neck with an electric razor, without warning, the barber shaved a path from the back of his head, up and over to the forehead. Favilla took one look at this ruined haircut and gave the barber a ‘bunch of fives’, flooring him and walked out without paying, much to the amusement of the waiting clients. Favilla returned to Australia in late 1967 and was posted to the RAAF department of Defence, Canberra as acting Squadron Leader, until 1969. This was followed by a year at RAAF Support Command, Melbourne, until his discharge from the permanent Air Force, and RAAF Reserve in 1970. He re-joined the RAAF Specialist Medical Reserve, Melbourne in 1986 until 1997. He was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 with clasp Vietnam, the Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal, the Australian Defence Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
Favilla took up an appointment as a registrar at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear hospital, after his termination from the permanent Air Force. This began his long civilian career in ophthalmology. He opened a private practice, in Ringwood, Victoria, in 1973, with another ophthalmologist Geoffrey Vaughan. He was appointed as assistant ophthalmologist at Prince Henry’s hospital, Victoria and became head of ophthalmology at that hospital, in 1974. He established a specialist diagnostic ophthalmic practice in Collins Street, Melbourne, in 1976. After the demolition of Prince Henry’s hospital, in 1986, all departments moved to the Monash Medical Centre, where Favilla opened another private practice adjacent to Monash to facilitate reviews of hospital patients. His original practice had now moved to Donvale, Victoria, and it closed in 2008. He was appointed Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at Monash University, in 1994. He was the clinical supervisor of RACO for trainee ophthalmologists for Southern Health, Victoria, a member of the Court Examiner for RACO, Australian and New Zealand, a member of the professional review panel for the Health Insurance Commission and advisory committee of the Department of Health, and continued as a consultant ophthalmologist to the Department of Defence. Ian Favilla retired from the Monash Medical Centre on 30th June 2011 and closed his private practice due to ill health on 28th February 2012. Ian Favilla sadly died on 27th August 2016 and is survived by his wife Margaret and his three children, Janne, Marcel and Stuart.