War medics’ links to Otago

Lee George Russell guards a captive, Hamish Norton, while Rolien Ham-Geliefde provides treatment...
Lee George Russell guards a captive, Hamish Norton, while Rolien Ham-Geliefde provides treatment at a simulated war aid station in Dunedin’s Hunter Centre on Saturday. The scene was part of commemorations for the Otago Medical School’s 150th anniversary. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
Simulated aid stations provided a good clue about what else might be in the vicinity as acknowledgement of the Otago Medical School’s 150th anniversary continued into the weekend.

Displayed at the Hunter Centre in Dunedin on Saturday were uniforms, documents and photographs.

It was all in aid of highlighting war medics and their Otago links.

Otago Military Historical Group co-chairman Peter Trevathan said the University of Otago invited the group to participate in commemorations.

"During the first world war and second world war and even to this day, a lot of doctors and nurses and dentists have all come out of Otago University," he said.

"They’ve had a long history in the defence forces."

The university had a medical corps from about 1908 until 1983, he said.

The Dunedin Military Re-enactment Group was also at the Hunter Centre on Saturday, assisting the "wounded".

Commemorations of the medical school’s 150 years started on Thursday evening and ran until yesterday.

More than 300 alumni, staff, students and guests from across New Zealand, Australia and the United States gathered at the Dunedin campus to celebrate clinical training, research and innovation that had occurred across theschool’s three campuses — the other two being atChristchurch and Wellington.

grant.miller@odt.co.nz

 

 

Advertisement