Weary: King of the River – Sue Ebury

In a wartime nightmare of starvation, disease, brutality and death, Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop’s courage and compassion made him an Australian legend.  Sue Ebury, examines the impact of Sir Edward Weary Dunlop on Australian society in this important biography – Weary: King of the River

Sir Ernest Edward Weary Dunlop was the type of rare individual who inspires others to impossible feats by example. Born and raised in Victoria, Australia, he qualified as a pharmacist and surgeon. When World War II broke out, he was appointed a surgeon to the Emergency Medical Unit, spending time in Greece and Africa before he was transferred to Java. As commanding officer and surgeon in the POW camps of the Japanese, he became a legend to thousands of Allied prisoners whose lives were saved with meagre medical supplies. In those camps, at great personal risk, he recorded the deprivation and despair of the men under his command.

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During more than three years as a surgeon in the notorious work camps and vast hospital camps along the Burma–Thailand railway, he worked tirelessly to save lives and get men home to their families. He confronted his captors fearlessly; three times he was tortured and taken out to be executed, only to be reprieved at the last moment. Fellow prisoners regarded him as ‘a symbol of hope and a rock’.

This new, illustrated biography of Weary includes more than 150 images as well as never-before-published material about his betrayal to his captors. Weary was the quintessential Australian all-rounder—brilliant student, outstanding sportsman and irrepressible larrikin who dedicated his life to caring for people.

When he died in July 1993, 10 000 people stood silently to farewell the most honoured medical man in Australia. By then, this great humanitarian’s influence had spread far beyond the veteran community to embrace the entire nation.

When Weary’s secret War Diaries were published in 1986, they became a best seller overnight and Sue Ebury’s biography, written with his total cooperation, was released with similar success in 1994, ten months after he died. New information and time to consider the impact of Weary’s life on Australian society, in schools, institutions and homes across the nation, have showed a need for this new, illustrated edition.

Links and Further Reading

• Sir Edward Weary Dunlop Foundation

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1. My Remarkable Journey – Larry King
2. Martin Luther King – Godfrey Hodgson
3. The River – Chris Hammer