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District 9800 Governor Elect Dr Murray Verso was introduced by PDG Dennis Shore. Although Murray's renowned service to Rotary (from 1981) was recounted by Dennis it was the other recent passion of Murray which was the topic for the day. Murray a life long medical practitioner ( from which he has retired to take on the next year's rotary pursuits) told of how in 2006 as a member of a Dawn Service tour to Gallipoli with Rotary he "idled?" away the cold chilly hours at Anzac Cove pre the service, contemplating "how would the medical profession have coped there in 1915?".
Returning to Australia Murray took to researching that question. Such was the extent of his research into the Gallipoli campaign and especially the medical aspects of it, that he has become an expert historian on the matter and regularly invited to deliver lectures about it. Timed to coincide with next week's Anzac day the meeting was fascinated to hear Murray's condensed version.
In 1915 at Anzac Cove and Gallipoli , time and geography dictated that there were no antibiotics, no intravenous treatments, no blood transfusions, limited anesthetics, no X-rays machines (apart from was one Australian machine) and certainly no instrumental diagnostic devices like ultra sound, CT scanners or MRI's!
The carnage on both sides was great. By the first day there were over 500 seriously injured requiring attention on the landing beach. Doctors were few and early on organisational deficencies were rife. In the course of his address Murray chose to highlight the exploits of three individuals.
First there was John Simpson Fitzpatrick, and appropriately a member of the medical profession , he was an ambulance man. Now immortalised in writing and statues "Simpson" was the Western Australian enlisted Englishman who as an ambulance bearer used a donkey (there were many like ambulance attendants but without the donkey) to help him retrieve wounded from the battle field. Credited with bringing back over 300 wounded (of both sides) in the short three weeks until his death by sniper fire Simpson and his donkey symbolise the chivarlous but brutal nature of the Anzac adventure.
 Highly decorated (knighted thrice) and Australia's first VC winner Sir Neville Howse, a fully qualified medical practitioner man with service in that capacity in The Boer War and then Gallipoli, was key in first establishing some rational order to the provision of medical services at Anzac. Ultimately promoted to Major General he became Medical Director for the Australian Imperial Forces in WW1, covering all areas of combat and medical rehabiliation and care in Europe at the time. With life before and after the WW1 service, as a federal member of the Partliament and Mayor of Orange his town of residence, Howse's career and contribution to Australia is magnificent, yet since his death in 1930 his name has lapsed from the public's attention.
The third was Graham Butler, also a medical man who served at Anzac. He was awarded the DSO (being the highest award to any medical officer there) for services at Anzac, where stories of his bravery and endless efforts were many. He later established a reputation as a medical historian and sought to document the medical services needed in war. Set against the time space of WW1 he noted three obligations of the medical staff, namely support the military command, the nation and thirdly humanity. His efforts culminated in a three volume work written over 25 years and although comprehensive was essentially outdated beyond the key principles of good practice. Again post the war period he contributed much to the community, first in the AMA and medical profession and later in service organisations.
In the course of his address Murray told of the problems the Gallopoli forces faced with disease, the Turkish soldiers, the strategic errors and the supply limitations imposed on the men and the leadership in the failed but now retrospectively perceived glorious campaign.
Thank you Murray for a wonderful and timely presentation of the Anzac story and on a little thought about but new to us aspect of it.
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