Michael MURRAY-ALSTON [4623]

  General Notes:

MICHAEL MURRAY-ALSTON
Michael was born on 9th May 1931 [ref.no.31-328 Gosforth] the only son of Basil Evelyn and Barbara Benedicta (nee Harvey) MURRAY-ALSTON, at 59 Church Road, Gosforth, Northumberland, England.
He was baptised by the Bishop of Newcastle (England) at St. Nicholas' Church Gosforth on 27th June 1931. He started school in 1937 at Salmon's School, Gosforth and was there until 1939 when he went as a boarder to Mowden Hall School, Darlington, Co.Durham which was evacuated for the duration of the Second World War (1939-1945) to Fallbarrow,Windermere, Co. Westmoreland, where he stayed until July 1944. He went on to Shrewsbury School, Shropshire, in England in September 1944 until July 1949 during which time he gained his school Rowing Blue for 1948-49. He also played soccer for his House (Oldhams) and became a crack target clay pigeon and sporting shot.
In August/September 1949 the family moved to Ireland (Co.Galway) and he entered the University of Dublin (Trinity College) in September 1949 to study medicine. In 1955 he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree (BA), and in 1957 he obtained his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Obstetric s degrees MB/BCh/BAO. He also continued Rowing and was a University Rowing Blue from 1950-1954, which included taking part in the Henley Regattas in England each year.
From July 1957 to June 1958 he was House Surgeon and House Physician at the Adelaide Hospital,(his teaching Hospital) in Dublin, Ireland. He then joined the Peninsular and Orient Line and became Assistant Surgeon on the SS Arcadia from July 1958 to April 1959. After his sojourn at sea he did Locum duties in orthopaedics and anaesthetics at the Lewisham Hospital, London, England, from April 1959 to June 1959 when he joined the Royal Australian Air Force on 12th June 1959 at Australia House in London, as a Flight Lieutenant.
On 2nd January 1959 he married Emily, and they arrived in Australia by air on 4th July 1959 where he took up his duties in the Royal Australian Air Force. Prior to leaving England, he and his wife resided at 25 Oakley St, Chelsea,London from January 1959 to July 1959. His duties with the RAAF were wide and varied over the next 20 years starting off at No:6 RAAF Hospital, Laverton, Victoria from July 1959 to December 1959 as the
Out-Patient Registrar. Then from December 1959 to October 1963 he was based at the RAAF Base, Williamtown ,NSW as Medical Officer and Aviation Medicine Officer. During this time he helped look after over 2000 servicemen and their medical and occupational care.
In October 1963 he promoted to Squadron Leader and was posted back to Victoria to RAAF Base, Point Cook, as the Aviation Medicine Officer, Institute of Aviation
Medicine. Duties this time included training at basic and continuation levels in Aviation Medicine of all RAAF aircrew as well as aircrew and cabin crews of Qantas and Trans Australia Airlines. In June 1965 he was attached overseas to RAAF Base,
Ubon,Thailand as Senior Medical Officer, and was responsible for the health care of all air and ground crew in Eastern Thailand, until June 1966 when he came back to Point Cook as Chief Instructor, Institute of Aviation Medicine. In June 1967 he was promoted to Wing Commander and posted to RAAF Base, Amberley,Queensland as Senior Medical Officer and Deputy Principal Medical Officer RAAF QLD.; this involved total health care of 3000 air and ground crew. In May 1969 he was attached to RAAF Contingent Vung Tau, Sth Vietnam as Senior Medical Officer RAAF Vietnam. He was responsible for all Australian and New Zealand Army,Navy,Air Force and civilian patients aeromedically evacuated out of Vietnam in 1969/70, as well as the health care of contingent personnel.
In July 1970 he returned to Amberley and to his previous duties there until February 1971. He was promoted to Group Captain and posted back to Victoria in February 1971 to Headquarters RAAF Support Command as Principal Medical Officer. Here he was responsible for the Health care of some 14,000 personnel, air and ground, male and female. The Command contained 5 major Bases and some 16 other units of varying size. It included 2 Service Hospitals, 3 Aircraft depots and 4 Stores Depots. Health personnel included 28 Doctors as well as dentists, pharmacists,hygiene officers, nurses etc.
On 8th October 1973 he and Emily became Australian Citizens,in Melbourne. In December 1974 the family (which now included 3 daughters) went overseas to England (the family to Ireland) where he was attached to RAAF Staff London for post-graduate studies with the Royal Air Force and at London University.
In 1975 he obtained his Diploma of Aviation Medicine (DIPAVMED) and his M.A. University of Dublin. In 1976 he obtained his Master of Science in Occupational Medicine M.Sc. University of London, and his Diploma in Industrial Health (Conjoint Board, London). The family came back to Victoria in January 1976. He returned in July 1976 where he resumed his position at Headquarters RAAF Support Command.
In January 1979 he was posted to RAAF HQ, Canberra,ACT. where he became Director of Air Force Medicine and then Director of Air Force Medical Plans. In 1978 he was elected a Member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland - MFOMI- (Foundation Member) and an Associate of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians (London) - AFOM - (Foundation Associate). He retired from the RAAF on 10th October 1979. His other RAAF activities included the following: A: Aviation medicine courses at RAF Farnborough, England and RAAF Point Cook between 1959 and 1963. b: Atomic, Biological and Chemical Warfare course with Royal Australian Navy in 1959. c: Three combat survival courses at Canungra, Qld. 1959/60 as student and instructor. d: Conduct of 21 courses training QANTAS flight and cabin personnel in Aviation Medicine at Richmond NSW between 1962 and 1965. e: Occupational and Industrial Health Course at Sydney University, in August 1963. f: Appointed as Medical Monitor to Project Gemini, NASA, Houston, Texas, USA. with a course at Houston in March 1964 and training at Carnarvon¹, Western Australia, in October 1964. Medical Monitor at Carnarvon for Flights Gemini 3,4 and 11. g: Other attachments included medical duties at Nos 3,4 and 6 Hospital at Richmond, NSW; Butterworth, Malayasia; and Laverton, Vic., respectively; official attendance at AMA and Aerospace Medicine Congresses; and Service Exercises in the Philippines and the Northern Territory.
He joined the Commonwealth Department of Health on 11th October 1979 as an Occupational Health Advisor and was seconded to the Commonwealth Department of Productivity (in Victoria) which became the Department of Industry and Commerce and then the Department of Defence Support (DDS) as Occupational Health Advisor and Director of Munitions Medical Services (covering 12 munitions and aircraft factories, 6 research laboratories, 2 dockyards and some 20,000 people). In 1982 he was elected a Foundation Fellow of the Australian College of Occupational Medicine - FACOM. In 1983 he was an Elected Fellow of the Faculty of Occupation al Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland - FFOMI and a Member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians (London) MFOM.
He resigned on 3rd October 1983 from the DDS and joined Australia Post on 4th October 1983 as its Occupational Health advisor at the National Headquarters in Melbourne. He retired from Australia Post on 29th December 1988, at the age of 57, but continued as a consultant during 1989.
He is a current and/or past member of the following Societies; Australia and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (past Secretary-General, General Council), Society of Occupational Medicine (UK), Commonwealth Medical Officers Association, Aviation Medical Society of Australia and New Zealand. Other activities included
Occupational Medicine Advisor of the Occupational Medicine Training programme of the Training Fellowships in Community Practice (Family Medicine Programme) of the Victorian Academy of General Practice; past member of the Occupational Medicine
Advisory Committee (1976-1978,1980-1982). Australia and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine representative to the Standards Association of Australia with membership of the Safety Standards Board (the senior body controlling work on
Occupational Health and Safety) and of the Board's Executive Committee, (1981-1988). Co-examiner for the Edgar Rouse Prize in Occupational Health in the Department of Community Health University of Melbourne.(1976-1978) Advisor, programme co-ordinator and lecturer for the Occupational Health course run by the Victorian Faculty of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (1976-1978,1980-1982). Honorary Secretary of the Australian College of Occupational Medicine - 1987. Member of the Senior Medical Officers Group (SMOG) in Commonwealth employment. (1984-1988).
Footnote:
1. Carnarvon Space Station. http://www.crotrak.com/Page_1.htm

  Research Notes:

Carnarvon images courtesy Hamish Lindsay
https://www.honeysucklecreek.net/other_stations/carnarvon/Hamish_Lindsay_photos.html

  Other Records

1. Michael Murray-Alston: as an infant, Cir 1932, Gosforth NBL.

2. Dr Michael Murray-Alston: Gemini IV Space Mission, 3-7 Jun 1965, Carnarvon Western Australia.
Michael was part of the medical team for this flight at the Tracking Station, Carnarvon WA
Images courtesy Hamish Lindsay show the Carnavon facility from the air, the Gemini IV Flight Control team (Michael 3rd from left) at the Carnarvon Tracking Station, and Michael working with his collegues.

Michael married Emily Frances Anne BURKE [4627] [MRIN: 15] on 2 Jan 1959 in Most Holy Redeem, Cheyne Row, Chelsea, London. (Emily Frances Anne BURKE [4627] was born on 3 Sep 1937 in Prison Gov. Res, Limerick Jail, IRL and died in 2013.)