Person
Dunlop, Ernest Edward (1907 - 1993)
AC Kt KCSJ FRCS FRACS FAMA(Hon) FPS(Hon) FACS FRCSEd(Hon)
- Born
- 12 July 1907
Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 2 July 1993
Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Physician
- Alternative Names
- Dunlop, Weary
Summary
Sir Ernest Edward Dunlop or Weary Dunlop as he was most commonly known, was a renowned surgeon who during World War II treated and cared for over one thousand prisoners of war. He is legendary for his medical skills, compassion and dedication and has received a multitude of honours and awards. Initially, Dunlop studied pharmacy, but soon after graduating he took up medicine at the University of Melbourne. After completing his studies, Dunlop joined the Citizen Military Forces and then the Royal Australian Military Corps where he was appointed Captain. He worked as a ship's surgeon on his way to England where he undertook postgraduate studies. In 1939 WWII broke out and Dunlop enlisted with the Royal Australian Military Corps where he was appointed specialist surgeon with the Emergency Medical Services at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, UK. Then was the appointed the Medical Liaison Officer between the British and ANZAC forces in Greece, followed by postings with the 2/2 Australian Casualty Clearing Station in Tobruk, then in Palestine and Indonesia. In 1942 his hospital in Java was captured by the Japanese and all were made prisoners of war (POW). For the next three years Dunlop and thousands of other POW worked on the Burma-Siam Railway.
Following WWII Dunlop was heavily involved in organisations that supported prisoners of war and their families, serving as President for several such organisations. His medical practice included appointments as honorary surgeon to out-patients (and later in-patients) at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and consultant at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and Peter MacCallum Clinic during the 1950s and 1960s. Wider involvement in medical organisations included holding executive office in the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria and the Victorian Foundation on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
Details
Chronology
- 1929
- Education - Bachelor of Pharmacy, Victorian College of Pharmacy
- 1934
- Education - Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Bachelor of Surgery (BS), University of Melbourne
- 1935
- Life event - Appointed Captain, Australian Army Medical Corps
- c. 1935
- Career position - Ship's Surgeon on vessel sailing for London
- c. 1935
- Education - Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS)
- 1937
- Education - Master of Surgery (MS), University of Melbourne
- 1938 - 1942
- Education - Postgraduate studies at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London
- 1939
- Career position - Specialist Surgeon of Emergency Medical Services at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, UK
- 1939 - 1945
- Military service - Served with the Australian Imperial Force
- 1942 - 1946
- Life event - Prisoner of War
- 1942 - 1946
- Career position - War service with the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps in Tobruk, Palestine and Asia
- 1946 - 1989
- Career position - President, Victorian Branch, Ex-Prisoners of War Relatives Association
- 1947
- Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - Army - Distinguished service in the SW Pacific
- 1948
- Award - Elected Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
- 1965
- Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) - In recognition of service to medicine
- 1968 - 1977
- Career position - Chairman, Prisoners of War Trust Fund
- 1969
- Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt) - In recognition of service to medicine
- 1970 - 1982
- Career position - President, Victorian Foundation on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
- 1972 -
- Award - Honorary Fellow, Indian Association of Surgeons
- 1972 - 1973
- Career position - President, Ex-POW Association
- 1974 - 1980
- Career position - President, Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria
- 1976
- Award - Australian of the Year
- 1980 - 1993
- Career position - Foundation member of the International Society of Diseases of the Oesophagus
- 1981 - 1993
- Award - Foundation Fellow, International Medical Sciences Academy
- 1982 -
- Career position - Patron of the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria
- 1985 -
- Award - Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation founded
- 1985 - 1993
- Award - Honorary Fellow, College of Surgery, Sri Lanka
- 1986 - 1987
- Career position - President, Ex-POW Association
- 1987
- Award - Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) - In recognition of service to Australian prisoners of war
- 1988
- Award - Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
- 1988
- Award - St John Jerusalem Cross Merit
- 1990
- Award - Valiant Freedom Award
- 1991
- Award - Fellow, Imperial College, London
- 1992
- Award - Knight Commander of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (KCStJ)
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Ebury, Sue, Weary: the Life of Sir Edward Dunlop (Melbourne: Viking/Penguin, 1994), 709 pp. Details
- Edwards, Hazel, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop (Frenchs Forest: New Frontier Publishing, 2011), 89 pp. Details
- Geddes, Margaret, Remembering Weary (Ringwood, Vic.: Viking, 1996), 448 pp. Details
- Murray, James, Lifework: Heroes of Australian Health (Edgecliff, NSW: Focus Publishing for [Medical Benefits Fund of Australia Ltd], 1997), 160 pp. Details
Book Sections
- Horne, Michele C.; and Mills, Katie Anne, 'Dunlop, Sir Ernest Edward (Weary) (1907-1993), surgeon, army medical officer, war veterans' advocate, and public figure' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 19: 1991 - 1995 A-Z, Melanie Nolan, ed. (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2021), pp. 237-239, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dunlop-sir-ernest-edward-weary-27739. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3048501. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/79421827. Details
- CA 2002, 2 Echelon, Army Headquarters; CA 46, Department of Defence [III], Central Office, 'NAA: B883, VX259', B883 Second Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6231386. Details
- '1976 Australian of the Year', Australian of the Year Awards, National Australia Day Council, https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/sir-edward-weary-dunlop-ac-cmg-obe-memoriam. Details
- 'Dunlop, E E (19070712-19930702)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-585175. Details
- 'Awarded honorary LLD, 1988', Honorary degree holders, University of Melbourne, 2023, https://about.unimelb.edu.au/notable-alumni-staff/honorary-degree-holders. Details
Annette Alafaci and Helen Cohn
Created: 22 May 2006, Last modified: 24 August 2023