Weary Dunlop’s war medals, letters stolen in Toorak burglary
Priceless letters and medals belonging to heroic World War II surgeon Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop were stolen from a Toorak home.
A safe with letters and documents written by the decorated surgeon was stolen from a property at Williams Road between Sunday and Monday, according to Victoria Police.
Decorated surgeon and WWII hero Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop
There were also medals and honours presented to Dunlop, along with jewellery and electronics worth more than $30,000.
Chair of the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation Robert Winther told 3AW there would be community “outrage” if the items were not returned.
“Weary is such a significant Australian, here is a pharmacist, a doctor, a surgeon, a prisoner of war for three years. He withstood all that, came back and served his fellow veterans,” Winther said.
He said he hoped the thieves would hand over the medals and the documents.
These war medals awarded to “Weary” Dunlop were stolen from a Toorak property. Credit:Victoria Police
“You sort of think ‘What would Weary think?’. I think he’d like to grab them by the scruff of the neck, but the heat that will be applied will be incredible,” he said.
The Melbourne surgeon enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Corps at the start of World War II and served at Tobruk and Java.
He became a Japanese prisoner of war when Java was captured, and was forced to work on the Burma-Thailand railway, where he cared for the wounded, sick and malnourished.
Priceless documents written by the esteemed Australian were stolen, along with $30,000 of jewellery and electronics. Credit:Victoria Police
After the war he showed ongoing concern for the health of former prisoners of war and was an active member veterans associations.
Before he went to the war, he was an Australian representative in rugby.
He was bestowed a knighthood in 1969 and died in 1993 at the age of 85.
Detectives from Victoria Police’s Stonnington crime investigation unit are leading the effort to retrieve the keepsakes.
Those with information about the burglary or the location of Dunlop’s stolen war memorabilia should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.cirmestoppersvic.com.au
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