Sir Edward `Weary` DunlopPrint Page 
The sculpture commemorates soldier-surgeon and war hero, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop.
Soldier-surgeon and war hero Sir Edward `Weary` Dunlop was born in Benalla in 1907 and later attended Benalla High School. From March 1942 to the end of the Second World War he was a prisoner-of-war (POW) under Japanese command in Singapore and, from January 1943, in Thailand where he worked on the infamous Burma-Thailand railway.
Unintimidated by the Japanese he became a legend with the Australian prisoners for his modesty and his remarkable efforts in scrounging food for the sick, building makeshift hospitals and operating with hand-made instruments. It is known that, of the 5600 patients he had handled by October 1943, only 56 had died under conditions of extreme deprivation and brutality. Yet he managed to bare no hatred towards the Japanese and became deeply devoted to the peoples of Asia.
After the war he acted as a medical adviser in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka and South Vietnam. Named Australian of the Year in 1977 and a Knight of St John in 1982 he published his best-selling war diaries in 1986. Dunlop died in 1993
Location
| Address: | Bridge Street, Benalla Botanical Gardens, Benalla, 3672 |
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| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.553056 Long: 145.979333 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Military |
| Artist: | Louis Laumen |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 10th November, 1996 |
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Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop A.C., Kt., C.M.G., O.B.E., K.C.S.J., M.S. (Melb), F.R.C.S. (Eng), F.R.A.C.S., F.A.C.S., L.L.D. (Melb) (Hon.), D. Sc (Punjabi) (Hon.)
The sculptor, Louis Laumen, designed this work in 1994. In September 1995 the people of Benalla invited the artist to realize his idea in bronze. The work was completed in October 1996 and depicts Weary stooping over the stricken figure of a POW, shoring up his failing strength, whilst a second doctor administers care.
Dedicated by the Rev. Dr. James Donaldson, friend and neighbour of Sir Edward.
Plaque :
Unveiled by the Hon. John Howard, M.P. Prime Minister of Australia
10th November, 1996
Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop A.C., Kt., C.M.G., O.B.E., K.C.S.J., M.S. (Melb), F.R.C.S. (Eng), F.R.A.C.S., F.A.C.S., L.L.D. (Melb) (Hon.), D. Sc (Punjabi) (Hon.)
Proudly remembered in Benalla and District
Home of his boyhood and youth
A great Australian who never forgot his humble beginnings
12th July, 1917 - 2nd July, 1993
