Sir Edward (‘Weary’) Dunlop AC CMG OBE (1907–1993) was a surgeon, who as a prisoner-of-war on the infamous Burma Railway used his medical skills to save the lives of a great number of allied POWs. Brought up in country Victoria, Dunlop studied medicine on a scholarship at the University of Melbourne, where he gained the nickname ‘Weary’. Having qualified as a surgeon in 1937, Dunlop enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Corps at the end of 1939. In 1942 he was captured by the Japanese in Java. Transferred to the Burma-Thailand Railway, Dunlop set up a jungle hospital and, without medical supplies and with improvised instruments, treated prisoners who were suffering from tropical diseases, malnutrition, exhaustion and the effects of torture. After the war, Dunlop practised as a cancer specialist in Melbourne and pioneered treatments for throat cancer. President of the International College of Surgeons, he remained supportive of ex-POWs and was involved in humanitarian programs both in Australia and throughout Asia. Dunlop was accorded a State funeral in Melbourne.
Gift of Mrs Lily Kahan 2017. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Louis Kahan/Copyright Agency, 2024
Louis Kahan AO (age 83 in 1988)
Colonel Edward (Weary) Dunlop AC CMG OBE (age 81 in 1988)
Lily Kahan (52 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Sarah Engledow on a foundational gallery figure who was quick on the draw.
Visit us, learn with us, support us or work with us! Here’s a range of information about planning your visit, our history and more!
