Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

VERCO Peter Willis MD FRACP FRCR FRACR DDU

1919-1999

Peter Willis Verco was born in North Adelaide on 8th December 1919. He was the only son of radiologist, Dr Joseph Stanley Verco and Elise Dorothy, nee Willis. He was educated at the Queen's School in North Adelaide and St Peter's College. His education was interrupted in 1932, when the family spent time in Europe; he had a year’s private tuition in Vienna. He studied medicine at the University of Adelaide where he graduated MB BS (Hons) and was awarded the Everard Scholarship, the William Gardner Prize and the BMA Prize in Clinical Medicine. He played intervarsity golf between 1937 and 1940, and was captain of the University of Adelaide Golf Club in 1940. He was always a keen sailor and sailed with his father on Solace. He completed his shortened resident medical officer year at the RAH in 1942 and joined 2/AIF.

Verco joined the AAMC on 7th July 1942 at the rank of captain and served with the CMF at 105 AMH until he joined 2/AIF on 3rd October 1942. He served, with 2/11th FdAmb, embarking for Papua New Guinea on 31st July 1943, and served in the Huon Peninsula campaign at Lae and Finschhafen. He was invalided home, arriving back in Australia on 31st January 1944, and was later diagnosed with amoebic hepatitis and was discharged unfit on 4th July 1945. After WW2 he returned to the CMF as a consultant radiologist with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Verco, after discharge in 1945, received an NH& MRC grant to study Primary Atypical Pneumonia. He married Enid Lisle Johnson (known as Patty) on 30th April 1946; they were to have five children, but sadly a daughter died at birth. He obtained his MRACP in 1947, MD (Adelaide) in 1948 and MRACR in 1950. He was awarded a Nuffield Travelling Fellowship, 1948 to 49, where he trained with Sir Peter Kerley at the Westminster Hospital, and, in 1950, was a special fellow at the Memorial Hospital in New York. He was to introduce percutaneous arteriography, cerebral angiography and aortography together with modern methods of ventriculography and tomography in the early 1950s. He became a FFR in 1951, FRACR in 1955, FRACP in 1970 and DDU in 1977. He was an honorary assistant radiologist, an honorary radiologist and then a senior visiting radiologist at the ACH, from 1950 to 1984, and a radiologist at the Queen Victoria Hospital from 1951 to 1984. In addition, his private practice in Verco Buildings, Calvary Hospital, Harley Chambers and later Blackwood Hospital, from 1948 to 1984, in diagnostic radiology was with JS Verco and Colin Gurner senior and BC Smeaton, then with Colin Gurner junior and later with others. He was a member of the SA Branch council of the BMA from 1956 to 1978, vice president 1956 to 1957 and President 1957 to 1958. He was elected a Fellow of the AMA in 1970. He was a council member of the RACR 1952 to 1954, 1978 to 1982, vice president 1982 to 1983 and president 1983 to 1984. He was made a Life member of the RACR in 1985 and awarded the Gold Medal of the RACR in 1986. He had introduced obstetric ultrasound to SA in 1973, and was President of the Australian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine from 1980 to 1981. He was the President of the Queen Victoria Hospital 1973 to 1977. The keen golfer and yachtsman as a young man, was supplanted by interests in water skiing, antiques and family history. Always a heavy smoker he, memorably, would hold his lit cigarette above the water when water skiing. His first pastoral property at Mount Mary, SA, was to occupy much of his leisure time. His interest in family history culminated in two books; Masons Millers and Medicine (1976) about the Verco family and Thomas and Elisabeth Magarey (1985) about the Magarey family. Verco retired on his 65th birthday; some locums in Sydney maintained his interest in ultrasound. Peter Willis Verco died, at home, on Christmas day 1999, just after lunch. He was survived by his wife, three sons and daughter, and eight grandchildren.

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears III: Medical Practitioners South Australia, who Served in World War 2. 

Swain, Jelly, Verco, Summers. Open Books Howden, Adelaide 2019. 

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD