CHAPTER MEETINGS ARE HELD ON THE FOURTH MONDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE WAVERLEY RSL
The Waverley RSL is located at 161 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley, and is conveniently situated opposite the Glen Waverley railway station. The RSL car park is free but you need to display a ticket on your dashboard (obtainable from reception) or use the public car park opposite.
You are invited to our Monthly Meeting commencing at 1900 on Monday 29 April 2025
Guest Speaker
Dr Campbell Miles
“Defeat of Scurvy in the Royal Navy”
Dr Campbell Miles’ background is as a vascular surgeon with an interest in the interrelationship between medicine, military actions and society. He retired in 2007 as head of vascular surgery at the Alfred Hospital. Previously, he was a medical specialist to the RAAF.
He was a very active member of the Medical History section at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) for 15 years. The presentation on scurvy has grown from a talk he gave at the annual scientific congress of the RACS. Now retired, he lives in Mount Waverley.
Dr Miles’ presentation covers some background on scurvy and why humans cannot produce our own Vitamin C, how scurvy affects the human body and the impact this had on the sailors in the British Navy. He will describe the attempts by the Navy’s Sick and Hurt Board to overcome the dreadful impact that the disease had on ships’ crews and how scurvy was finally defeated over the fifty-year period from 1745.
He will identify when the first good evidence of the worth of citrus juice emerged, why this evidence was neglected and how it was finally accepted that citrus was indeed the answer to the disease in 1795.
It is likely that the presentation will generate some lively questions and answers in conclusion to the talk.
Membership of the NHSA automatically entitles you to be part of the Victoria Chapter and to share in its activities.
We hold our monthly meetings in the well-appointed “Sunset Room” at the RSL – easy access is provided by an adjacent lift. Our program is listed on the website, and we either have a Guest Speaker or show a film. Meetings start at approximately 7.00 pm and finish by 9.00 pm.
The “Warramunga Restaurant” on the ground floor opens at 5.30 pm and a number of members and guests take the opportunity to enjoy a few drinks at the bar before heading to the Restaurant.
Our Secretary Lynda Gilbert coordinates the booking of tables, so please let her know in advance by email lynda.gilbert@aol.com if you are intending to join us for dinner.
If joining us for the first time, please let us know when you plan to visit by contacting Andrew Mackinnon and we will ensure you are made welcome.
The Chapter produces a monthly newsletter called the ‘Three-Headed Dog’, containing a variety of articles of interest. Edited by Andrew Mackinnon, this is published 11 times a year and is distributed by email to Victorian members free of charge. Copies of the latest and previous ‘Three-Headed Dog’ newsletters can be found on the
Visit Navy Victoria Network
President: Andrew Mackinnon
Address: 8 Gleneagles Court
CROYDON VIC 3136
Mobile: 0429 096 911
Email: andrewmackinnon0404@gmail.com
Secretary: Lynda Gilbert
Email: lynda.gilbert@aol.com