The life of Dr John Hargrave

Dr Hargrave instructing Aboriginal Health Worker Mathias Nemurluk.
Dr Hargrave (left) on the Lake Mackay Expedition in 1957.
Dr Hargrave examining a patient.
Dr Hargrave examining a Pintupi man on the Lake Mackay Expedition in 1957.

The John Hargrave Society: Our Mission

Shortly after Dr Hargrave’s death in 2020, a group of his colleagues and friends gathered to find a way to share John’s exceptional legacy with the world. 

Since then, the John Hargrave Society has been working to ensure John’s work is not only remembered, but continues to influence and inspire fellow doctors and surgeons across the world. As well as his work in the Northern Territory, John founded the Overseas Specialist Surgical Association of Australia (OSSAA), and travelled to Timor and Indonesia to perform reconstructive surgery on children and adults with untreated deformities and disabilities.

John devoted his life to the First Nations peoples of Australia and helping them overcome the many illnesses and diseases that ravished their communities. The John Hargrave Society continues to inspire and motivate people to follow in John’s footsteps and find ways to continue his work.

Source: With thanks to Darwin-based historian and Library & Archives Northern Territory curator Don Christopherson. Click on the small arrow above to watch the John Hargrave video.

The John Hargrave Society Committee

Chairman – Professor Jaishankar Raman

Vice-Chairman – Professor Phillip Carson

Secretary – Heather Boulden

Treasurer – Jeremy Hempill

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Dr Dayalan Devanesen

Joseph Daby

Robyne Latham

Ruth Boveington

Iris Raye