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12 December 1932 - 21 January 2007
Alan Clarke died following heart surgery at Christchurch after a rich life of 3 careers: Dunedin surgeon; Dean of the Christchurch School of Medicine; and customer and crusader for the Burwood Spinal Injuries Unit. He was farewelled by his close friend, the Rev Bruce Hansen, at a packed Knox Church in Merivale, Christchurch.
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His father, Marcus, returned after 6 years. Alan's memories were of someone who "suddenly turned up from nowhere and told me what to do". The family moved to Auckland where Marcus took a surgical post at Middlemore Hospital.
Alan attended King's College where, through the Air Training Corps, he was awarded a 2-year RNZAF flying scholarship. Father with stern good sense insisted that becoming a doctor ruled out flying. Medical intermediate was at Auckland University. Later student years were at Knox College in Dunedin, graduating MBChB in 1956.
On the way he picked up 3 academic awards and Otago and New Zealand University Blues for athletics. He was 1956 Australasian champion hammer thrower. Through the Student Christian Movement he became engaged to arts student Jane Malloch of Waikouiti who became his constant companion and support.
Alan chose surgery. Initial postgraduate training (including neurosurgery) was in Auckland and Dunedin. Later he and Jane travelled to Scotland. En route, while the ship was held stationary off Canary Islands, he performed an emergency craniotomy to relieve a crew member's subdural haematoma using instruments hastily fashioned by the ship's engineers.
At Glasgow's Western Infirmary he trained under Sir Charles Illingworth. Alan abhorred British bullying and had frequent occasion to address the contempt of junior staff shown by seniors. His FRACS followed in 1961 and he practiced general and vascular surgery in Dunedin as Senior Lecturer in Surgery. In 1970 he was appointed Ralph Barnett Chair of Surgery. His research included intestinal absorption, liver regeneration, and peptic ulcers.
David Stewart (a Knox College roommate) said Alan, Robin Irvine, John Hunter, and...