Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Dr. Richard Neville Benson (MBBS) was born in Perth, Western Australia on 6 December 1924. He is the second son of Mr David Michael Benson, who was a veteran of the Landing at Gallipoli Cove, also serving in Belgium and France, and first State Secretary of the WA RSL, and Mrs Dorothy Eileen Benson (nee Johnson) of Nedlands, Western Australia.

Neville, as he is known, was educated at Nedlands State School and Hale School, Barrack Street, Perth. After completing a year of a Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Australia (UWA), he enlisted for the Second World War at the age of 19 on 15 February 1944. He served with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) first in Signals in Sydney and then as a Leading Airman (LAC) in the Northern Territory until his discharge in April 1946.

After the War, Neville was accepted into Medicine at the University of Adelaide, graduating with an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) on 18 December 1953.

He worked at the Royal Adelaide Hospital after graduation where he met Nadine George, a Registered Nurse, to whom he became engaged. Nadine was the eldest child and only daughter of Mr Harry Llewelyn George and Mrs Doris George of Glenelg, Adelaide. Harry was also a veteran of the Landing at Gallipoli Cove and also served in France. Neville married Nadine at St Peter's Cathedral in Adelaide on 16 April 1955.

After moving to Perth together, first living in Fremantle, Neville began in earnest a lifelong career in medicine in general practice and surgery. He first worked for the redoubtable Dr Bean of Nedlands, whose remit included Fremantle Hospital and the Fremantle Prison, on whose inmates Neville would perform their regular medicals. He once performed emergency surgery on a shipman in the hold of a ship with no operating table in what he called the 'rag and bottle' days (using ether for anaesthesia).

Neville commenced general practice after setting up his own surgery in Nollamara, with visiting rights at various hospitals, including the Mount, Prince Edward, Princess Margaret, Royal Perth, St John of God and Osborne Park hospitals. Nadine was his lifelong practice manager, and acted in the capacity of surgery nurse as well. Neville's practice included obstetrics, paediatrics and everything in between. He had many patients in nursing homes around Perth's northern suburbs, many of which his father, David Benson was instrumental in raising funds to establish and construct with the generous assistance of Perth's Jewish Community.

His younger brother, Dr Colin Benson, was a well-known Perth ophthalmologist who, like Neville, was a graduate of The University of Adelaide Medical School and Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. His eldest brother, William (Bill) Benson was a civil engineer, graduating from UWA with a BSc, BEng, and BA to his name, who also served in Darwin in the last War, and was awarded an MBE for his services to engineering in wartime and peacetime, being the architect of Perth's water supply and reservoir system.

Neville continued to practise medicine until he was 85. He was still attending medical conferences each year in Sydney well into his 80s. He is a lifetime member of the Australian Medical Association and British Medical Association and he was a Rotarian for 40 years with Mount Hawthorn Rotary Club. His is a lifetime of service to country and community.

He took an avid interest in walking, sailing, golf and reading, all of which he enjoyed, as well as holidays with family, fishing, crabbing and prawning around Mandurah, Peel Inlet, Hall's Head and Falcon Bay, where he and Nadine built a holiday home on the beach. They have 4 children, 14 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

Neville and Nadine literally served several generations of patients, many of whom Neville delivered, and of whom he once said it was 'an absolute privilege' to serve. After 65 years of marriage, and counting, they continue to enjoy life and 'run the race set before them'.