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POPE Harry Campbell

DOCTOR BORN IN GNOWANGERUP
JOINS ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE

Harry Campbell Pope was born in Gnowangerup on January 29, 1915, he became a pioneer doctor in what is now the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Harry was the eldest of five children to Katanning Dr. Edward Pope and his wife Olive nee Hopkins. Harry went to Katanning State School and at nine, Guilford Grammar Preparatory School and later, the Senior School.
He studied medicine at Melbourne University graduating with an honours degree in 1939, serving a short time with military service and then with the field ambulance before jungle training and service in New Guinea.
After treating troops in New Guinea during World War II he replaced the outgoing Harold Dicks who had spent the war years as a flying doctor in the Northwest. A vast practice encompassing Onslow, Roebourne, Port Hedland and Marble Bar awaited Harry Pope, as well as pilot John Williams who has spent his war years in night bombing raids over Germany.
The WA section of the air ambulance service had been formally registered less than a decade earlier in 1936, the aircraft had been flown on medical missions in the Kalgoorlie area as far back as the early 1930s, before similar use in most other parts of Australia.

DR.HARRY CAMPBELL POPE           #1
Harry Pope took his wife Pat and son John 2000 km from Perth to Marble Bar, in a square shaped Chevrolet that had sat out in the war years on stilts in Katanning. He relied on former schoolmates on stations along the route reaching his destination for fuel and occasional repairs, before reaching his destination after four days travel on mostly unsealed roads.
Based at Comet Gold Mine, near Marble Bar, he had to visit hospitals from Exmouth to Derby and all the stations in between as well as mining operations in far flung Whittenoom; it was too far to fly back from Newman after dark and he often stayed with Lang Hancock at Mulga Downs.
He had two aircraft; a simple single engine Fox Moth with an open pilots cockpit and a small passenger section in front of it with room for a stretcher; and a twin engine De Havilland biplane Dragon for six passengers and a stretcher but with a slow top speed of 145 km/h.

 
Once, a willy willy picked up the Fox Moth from the hard stand at Marble Bar and dumped it on his car; causing major plane repairs in Perth.
In a memoir of his two years as flying Dr. Harry Pope said he also acted as a coroner, checking his own death certificates; jailing some patients; and a mining Warden. He once punished a habitual gold thief with a large deterrent fine, expecting to take several years to pay. When the culprit ask for a day to pay the policeman replied: “ Gosh, Doc, you are encouraging gold stealing!”
He also played amateur dentist relieving toothache by extractions often carried out under local anaesthetic under an aircraft wing in near 50°c heat.
Harry Pope recruited matrons for Roebourne, Marble Bar and Onslow Hospitals, after writing to a former nurse colleague at Perth Hospital (now Royal Perth Hospital). When bureaucrats reprimanded him for appointing staff he told him to find another doctor if they did not approve.
In 1947 he excepted a Senior position at Royal Perth Hospital and handed over to Eric Saint, later the first professor of medicine at the new medical school at the University of WA.
After 12 months as assistant superintendent at Royal Perth Hospital, he joined Ken Cowden in general practice in North Perth, forming the second GP clinic in WA and remaining until retirement in 1970.
He was a member of the Lake Karrinyup golf club for 67 years retiring at 90. He was also a member of the Weld Club.
Harry Pope had heart problems and died in Byford. He was 95. His wife pre-deceased him. He leaves his son John and daughter Sue Croonen, six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, and a brother, John and sister, Robin Williams.

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References:                 Article:     The West Obituaries in ‘The West Australian’ edited by Torrance Mendez October 2010.

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Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2024