The guest speaker at this year’s Anzac Day service in Corryong provided an insight into one man’s experience in WWI and his contribution to the local community upon his return.

Michael Greenham spoke about his just-published book, ‘Devotion To Humanity’, detailing the life of his great-uncle and WWI veteran, Doctor/Captain David Peter Greenham. Doctor Greenham grew up in Dartmoor but spent almost all of his 30-year medical career in Corryong between the two World Wars.

He was much admired by the Upper Murray community for his work, civic involvement and compassion – evidenced by the fact he has a street in the town named after him.

Michael Greenham recalled that he had grown up knowing his great uncle had been ‘in World War One, and a doctor at somewhere called Corryong’ and he was inspired to learn more about his life.

David Greenham was born at Dartmoor in 1889, the youngest of six children to farming couple James and Margaret Greenham.

He won a government scholarship to a secondary school requiring him to live in Melbourne. After finishing at Wesley College in 1906, he won a further scholarship to study medicine at Melbourne University.

Apart from being a diligent academic he was also an outstanding sportsman. He played 51 VFL games with University and was selected as centre-half-back for the 1911 Victorian side to play in the Interstate Carnival.

‘Dr Dave’ also competed in the Victorian Athletics Championships in hurdles and long jump, most times finishing second to world record holder for the 440 yard hurdles, Les Davis. He also represented University in a well-credentialled crew at interstate rowing 8-competitions, two seats in front of Harry Ross-Soden, who competed for Australia in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.

After completing his medical degree and training he was snapped up by St Vincent’s Hospital as a Resident Medical Officer, dealing clinically with several high-profile cases.

Aged 24 in 1913, he was beckoned to Corryong by the local Police Constable William Moore, who prior to his time here had been stationed at Dartmoor, where he knew the Greenham family and had remained in touch.

Constable Moore felt young doctor-surgeon Dave was the type of bloke the Corryong area needed.

For the next 30 years, Dr Dave provided medical services for the district and added to it with a range of civic, sporting and social interests.

In 1914, the year after he arrived, he possibly had his highest profile medical task – to perform the autopsy on Jack Riley, the original ‘Man from Snowy River’.

Until he joined the Australian Army Medical Corps in 1917, Dr Dave carried out the medical assessments on local volunteers. He wanted to enlist before that but could not get a locum doctor to take on his job and he didn’t want to leave the community without a doctor.

When he did join up he served in hospitals in Egypt, England and later in France, where he was injured badly – rupturing his achilles tendon during a sports carnival when representing his battalion against another while both units were resting from the front line!

Dr Dave returned to Melbourne in November 1919 where he married Millie Gray and was back in Corryong with his bride a couple of months later, just in time for the 1920 football season.

He had captained Corryong to a premiership in 1915 and did so again in 1921.

He was also on the club committee for almost 20 years.

Dr Dave also played one game with archrivals Federal, a pre-war interleague game against Tallangatta!

His civic contributions included being a committee member of the football, golf, tennis and racing clubs.

He was also on church and service club committees and of course, heavily involved in he running of the Corryong Hospital; which he had lobbied and fundraised for to help build in 1917 as a replacement for the small Cottage Hospital that existed on his arrival.

Notably, he was the inaugural president of the Corryong RSL sub-branch and remained so for 19 years. During his watch, membership rose from eight to 120 and years later those members were unanimous that it was solely due to the doctor’s “force of personality” that the branch survived and flourished. He was also instrumental in the construction of the Corryong cenotaph, which was built in 1925.

Given what he had witnessed of war, it must have been difficult in his RSL role to farewell local young men off to WWII.

He would often comment that he had “brought them into the world”… most likely with the realistic thought they may not survive.

Dr Dave did not see the end of WWII. He died in January 1945 as a result of pancreatic cancer. He left his estate to his wife Millie, excluding 500 pounds [about $40,000 in today’s value] which he donated to the Corryong Hospital.

“I think you would understand now why the generation of his peers, and their children, thought so much of Doctor David Peter Greenham and why he should be counted amongst your community heroes,” Michael said in his Anzac Day address.

“When I visited Corryong a couple of years ago to work on my research, I met John Whitehead at the museum.

He recounted the survival story of his cousin Wilfred Whitehead, who aged 12 in 1936, had his leg mangled in horse-riding accident.

“The nurse assisting Dr Dave in the treatment of the injury, commented that it looked like an amputation was needed.

He replied confidently for all to hear… ‘I’ve saved worse than this on the Western Front’ – and he proceeded to do so!”

The book ‘Devotion To Humanity’, was launched at the Corryong Baptist Church on Anzac Day afternoon, Dr Greenham’s former home and medical practice.

Copies of ‘Devotion To Humanity’ are available to purchase at the Corryong Newsagency, Man From Snowy River Museum and Corryong Visitor Information Centre.

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 2 May 2024.