Person

Roberts, Alfred (1823 - 1898)

Kt

Born
1823
Finsbury, Middlesex, England
Died
19 December 1898
Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation
Medical practitioner and Surgeon

Summary

Alfred Roberts practiced medicine with his father in the United Kingdom before migrating to New South Wales in 1854. Soon after he became surgeon at the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary, retaining his association for over 40 years. Roberts became concerned at the standard of nursing practice in Sydney and, with Henry Parkes, sought assistance from Florence Nightingale. As a result, she sent Lucy Osborn and five trained sisters to Sydney in 1868. Roberts was a prime mover in the establishment of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA), having visited the United Kingdom in 1871 to investigate hospitals as a preliminary to the planning for the RPA, and being Director of the Prince Alfred Fund. The Hospital opened in 1882, with Roberts as Director and Honorary Consulting Surgeon until 1898. He advocated for the strong connection between the Hospital and the University of Sydney, where he was Examiner n Medicine for over 30 years. His other medical contributions included as a Member of the Board of the Sydney Hospital for Sick Children and Medical Advisor to the Railway Department. Roberts was prominent in the scientific affairs of the colony, holding executive office in the Philosophical and Royal Societies of New South Wales, and the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Details

Chronology

1844
Education - Member, Royal College of Surgeons, London
1844
Education - Licentiate, Society of Apothecaries
1854
Life event - Migrated to New South Wales
February 1855 - 1870
Career position - Honorary Consulting Surgeon, Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary
1856 - 1866
Career position - Member, Philosophical Society of New South Wales
1858 - ?
Career position - Trustee, Australian Museum
1858 - 1861
Career position - Member of Council, Philosophical Society of New South Wales
1859 - ?
Career position - Foundation Member of Council, Australian Medical Association
1862
Career position - Secretary, Philosophical Society of New South Wales
1863 - 1898
Career position - Examiner in Medicine, University of Sydney
1866 - 1898
Career position - Member, Royal Society of New South Wales
1868 - 1882?
Career position - Director and Honorary Secretary, Prince Alfred Fund
1871
Life event - Visited England
1873 - 1897
Career position - Consulting Surgeon, Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary
1876 -
Career position - President, Official Board of Visitors to Hospitals for the Insane
1881 -
Career position - Member, Board of Health
1882 - 1898
Career position - Director and Honorary Consulting Surgeon, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
1883
Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt)
1888 -
Career event - Original [founding] member, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science
1888
Career position - Foundation Vice-President, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science
1888 - 1889
Career position - President, Royal Society of New South Wales
1889 - 1890
Career position - Vice-President, Royal Society of New South Wales
1889 - 1897
Career position - Member of the Board, Sydney Hospital for Sick Children

Related Corporate Bodies

Related People

Archival resources

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

  • H. Parkes - Records, A925; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

Gavan McCarthy and Helen Cohn

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 6 May 2025

EOAS ID: biogs/P000150b.htm

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