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Geoffrey Webb Verco was born in Woodside, SA, on 11th January 1913. He was the eldest son and second child of Dr Reginald John Verco and Phoebe Frances, nee Hawkes. Throughout his life, Verco was a keen yachtsman. His family took a beach house at the Grange, SA, each summer and its proximity to the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron, where he became an honorary sailing member on 10th July 1929, facilitated his sailing passion.  He was educated at St Peter’s College and the University of Adelaide where he graduated MB BS in 1937. He took a position as ship’s surgeon, in March 1939, travelling to London to take the FRCS examination, residing, like so many of his colleagues, at London House in Mecklenburgh Square. The outbreak of WW2 resulted in the cancellation of his Middlesex Hospital training course, and consequently, he returned to Adelaide. He married Betty Primrose Sawers on 12th December 1939, and they were to have three daughters and a son.

Verco, joined the AAMC at the rank of captain on 1st November 1940, and was posted to 2/9 AGH and commenced duty on 18th December 1940. He embarked, with 2/9 AGH, on HMT Mauretania on 5th February 1941, and disembarked in the Middle East on 23rd March 1941. He served with 2/9 AGH, in Dimra, Palestine, as well as other short detachments from time to time. Verco returned to 4MD, Adelaide, disembarking on 29th March 1942. He embarked from Brisbane, on 8th August 1942 with 2/5th FdAmb and arrived in PNG on 18th August 1942. Promoted to temporary major on 23rd August 1942 he was transferred to 2/10 Bn on 28th August 1942.  He served with them in Milne Bay, PNG, until malaria, in March 1943, saw him evacuated to 105 AMH, Adelaide, where his appointment was terminated, for medical reasons on 26th September 1943. He was to describe his service in PNG: - It was against all our bringing up to sit in jungle and swamp and be rained on… it was just a completely foreign terrain, and nobody guessed that we would be going through the sort of jungles and swamps and mud and water, discomfort, heat and disease….it was unbelievable the whole thing! I’ve got the greatest admiration for the infantryman, he’s the salt of the earth. And it was terrible to see them being knocked off as they were….

Verco joined his father’s Payneham, SA, general practice following his discharge. He participated in managing, with his father, home births including that of one of the authors (CJV). After his father’s death, in 1950, he managed the practice alone. He was a clinical assistant surgeon at the RAH in 1948, obtained the FRACS in 1950, was Senior Registrar at St Paul’s Hospital, London, 1952 to 1953, and Gordon Craig Scholar 1952 to 1953. He was an honorary surgeon then senior visiting surgeon at the ACH and visiting urologist at the RGH, SA. His private surgical practice was based in Verco Buildings, North Terrace, Adelaide. A particular interest, at the ACH, was urinary diversion in children with Spina Bifida; on such operating lists he always arrived early and was uncharacteristically tense. He remained a keen yachtsman and his new yacht, Vanessa, of the St George Class of yachts was moored at the Royal SA Yacht Squadron. This yacht had the sleekest of profiles and was similar to one owned by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. He was an imaginative Commodore of the RSAYS serving three terms in this position from 1960 to 1963. Geoffrey Webb Verco died on 21st January 2003 and was survived by his wife, son, John, and daughters, Gillian, Rosemary and Vanessa.

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears III: Medical Practitioners of south Australia, who Served in World War 2. 

Swain, Jelly, Verco, Summers. Open Books Howden, Adelaide 2019. 

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD