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In memoriam

Franklin Gray

21 August 1915 – 15 July 2007

General surgeon

Franklin John Gray had a long and distinguished career as a surgeon, general practitioner, anatomist and teacher.

Born in Sydney, NSW Frank attended Sydney Boys’ High School before studying Medicine at the University of Sydney.  He was a great sportsman, stroked a winning four at a GPS regatta and played rugby for Sydney University where he received the University Blue as a full back.  In 1933 he won the Old Boys’ Prize, awarded annually to the boy who was voted ‘first’ in the hearts of all his fellow students.

Following his graduation with a MB, BSc (Hons) in 1939 Frank was a Resident at Sydney Hospital before completing his surgical training at Royal Newcastle Hospital (1941-1947) and ran a general practice in Newcastle from 1947 to 1954 during which time he was Honorary Surgeon at the Mater Hospital.

Frank gained his FRCS in Edinburgh and moved with his family to Melbourne to specialise in surgery, having been invited by his brother in law, Dr Joseph Collings to join a group practice in Richmond.  Several years later he took rooms in Collins Street and rose to the position of Honorary Senior Surgeon at the Austin Hospital.  He lectured in surgery and surgical anatomy at the University of Melbourne and was Director of Surgical Anatomy at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne.

In 1971 Frank accepted the position of Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Papua New Guinea and Staff Surgeon at the Port Moresby General Hospital.

Following the death of his wife, Bette in 1974 he returned to the Hunter Valley, NSW where he was Specialist Staff Surgeon and later Medical Superintendent at Maitland Hospital until he retired in 1985.

After a long and distinguished career as a surgeon in large metropolitan teaching hospitals, a developing country and a semi-rural community, on retirement Frank joined a local family medicine practice in Maitland, working part-time as a General Practitioner.  Having not worked in this capacity for many years and feeling that this position required some form of retraining, Frank sat in on consultations conducted by a partner in the practice who had been one of his former students.

In 1985 Frank was awarded the part-time honorary appointments of Fellow in Anatomy and Fellow in Surgery at the University of Newcastle and Clinical Lecturer in the faculty of Medicine.  During this time he became aware that the subject of anatomy was suffering by the inclusion of other disciplines in the expanding medical curriculum and needed more importance.  At the age of eighty-one Frank retired from part-time work as a General Practitioner to work in a voluntary capacity within the Maitland community whilst pursuing his interests of writing, playing golf, painting and gardening. In his late eighties he attended aqua-aerobics classes to help maintain his fitness.

In 2002 Franklin John Gray was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to medicine and medical education. 

He wrote numerous surgical papers which revolutionised surgery and donated many of his detailed anatomical dissections to the medical laboratory of the University of Newcastle.  He was the author of two major text books “Principles of Surgery – an Illustrated Guide for Health Professionals” published in 1981 and “Anatomy for the Medical Clinician” published in 2002.  The latter, written during his years of involvement with the University of Newcastle, offered a new approach to easier comprehension of anatomy for the student.

Aged 89 and shortly after the publication of his second book, Frank suffered a massive stroke.  Although able to comprehend, he was confined to a wheelchair and unable to communicate.  For the last three years of his life he was lovingly cared for at home by his wife.

Frank was an exceptional man who had great enthusiasm for life and adventure.  He loved his fellow man and touched the lives of all who knew him.  He is survived by his second wife Evelyn, his children Stephan, Dianne, Virginia and Christopher, eight grand-children and six great grand-children.

He will be sadly missed.

Written by his daughter, Di Beveridge