William N. Robertson (1866-1938) C.B.E., CMG was a Scottish-Australian surgeon who served as Vice Chancellor of the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. The suburb of

Robertson Robertson may refer to: People * Robertson (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Robertson (given name) * Clan Robertson, a Scottish clan * Robertson, stage name of Belgian magician Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763–1837) Places ...

in Brisbane is named after him.

Early life

William Nathaniel Robertson was born in

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1866, the son of the Rev. Peter Robertson and his wife. His parents left him in the care of his grandparents in Scotland where he attended Royal High School in Edinburgh and enrolled in the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1888, taking his Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees in 1892. He worked in hospitals in Scotland and London. His family emigrated to Australia in 1873 to improve Mrs Robertson's health and moved to Dalby and later

Ipswich, Queensland Ipswich () is a city in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River, it is approximately west of the Brisbane central business district. The city is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage. Ipswich pre ...

where his father was a Presbyterian minister. After completing his medical studies Robertson joined his family in Australia in 1893 and he opened a general medical practice in Ipswich. He later served as an ear, nose and throat specialist in Brisbane, and was an honorary surgeon with the

Royal Brisbane Hospital The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is a tertiary public hospital located in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Metro North Health, part of the Queensland Health network. The hospital has 929 be ...

and Mater Misericordiae Hospital. He founded the ear, nose and throat department at the Mater Hospital, serving there from 1913-1926.

Support for education

Robertson supported the establishment of a medical school and university in Queensland and was elected a member of the

Senate in its second term. He was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland, serving from 1926 to 1938. He was an advocate for education supporting

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

schools and more affordable higher education. He was honoured with a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1931 for his university and public services. He was on the founding committee which established the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

War service work

After being rejected for active service, he served as a Major in the Australian Army Medical Corps during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in home service, and was a member of the Repatriation Board, Medical War Committee and Wounded Sailors and Soldiers’ Fund. He served on the medical faculty of the University. He was honoured with a

Commander 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 ...

for his war time services in 1922.

Personal life

Robertson married Clara Pollard in 1899. They lived in

Craigston Craigston is a heritage-listed apartment block at 217 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Atkinson & Conrad and built in 1927. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 Octob ...

Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street and Whar ...

(now heritage-listed) where a number of other medical specialists maintained their residences and private rooms. They had four children. Robertson died at Craigston after a short illness on 12 June 1938 aged 52 years. His funeral was held at St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Creek Street after which he was cremated at

Mount Thompson Crematorium Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens and Crematorium (formerly Brisbane Crematorium) includes a heritage-listed chapel (the West Chapel), columbaria and other features. It is located on north-western slopes of Mount Thompson in Brisbane, Australia. ...

Awards and memberships

Robertson received numerous awards and held leading roles in many organisations, including: * President of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

, Queensland (four times) * Vice-President of the British Medical Association * Doctor of Laws of University of Edinburgh, honoris causa, 1938 * Trustee, National Art Gallery * Member,

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

* Member,

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

* Member, Crippled Children's Association * Chairman,

AMP Society AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in Sy ...

, Queensland * Chairman,

Johnsonian Club Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...

* Commander of the British Empire (CBE), 1922 *Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), 1931

Legacy

Since 1940, an annual prize has been given in his name to a medical student of the University of Queensland. Following a bequest of his daughter Clara Joan Roe in 1984, an annual scholarship is presented in his name to assist with medical research. The suburb of

in Brisbane was named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Willian Nathaniel Academic staff of the University of Queensland 1866 births 1938 deaths