Stanley Devenish Meares (14 July 190616 August 1994) was an Australian obstetrician and

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...

.Who's Who in Australia (The Herald and Weekly Times Limited, 1977) pp 309

Early life

Devenish Meares was born at

Summer Hill, New South Wales Summer Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Summer Hill is located 7 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council. Summer Hill is a primari ...

, the son of C E Devenish Meares from his first marriage. His half brother was

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Leycester Meares AC CMG QC, a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.Obituary - The Newingtonian 1994 pp 214 Meares attended Newington College (1919-1924)Newington College Register of Past Students 1863-1998 (Syd, 1999) pp 133 and went up to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1925, graduating as a

Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United Kin ...

with first-class honours in 1932.

Medical career

Meares served on the staff of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital before going to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

to gain gynaecological experience at Saint Mary's Hospital, Manchester. On his return to Australia, he was appointed an Honorary at the

Crown Street Women's Hospital Crown Street Women's Hospital (now-closed) was once the largest maternity hospital in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was located at 351 Crown Street (corner of Crown and Albion Streets), Surry Hills. The hospital was one of severa ...

, Sydney. In 1946, after active service, he was appointed as an Honorary at

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at its current location since 1811. It first rece ...

. From that time, he was a clinical lecturer at the

and in 1954 was appointed Consultant Gynaecologist to The Cancer Council New South Wales. In 1967 the Vth World Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology was held in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and Meares was president of the meeting. In the same year he was elected President of the Australian Council of the

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...

and held that position until 1970.

War service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Meares attained the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, serving as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the 7th Field Ambulance, and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

Honours

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

- 1968 for service to medicine

Fellowships

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...

* Royal Australasian College of Surgeons * On the formation of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1983 he was made a Foundation Fellow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meares, Stanley Devenish 1906 births 1994 deaths People educated at Newington College Sydney Medical School alumni Australian gynaecologists Australian obstetricians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian medical doctors Australian military personnel of World War II Australian Army officers