BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LEPROSY MISSION (AUSTRALIA)
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Mr. W. Richard McKeown ("Dick") who officially took up his position as Secretary for Australia on 17 October, 1963, will be especially remembered for the significant development that followed his coming to leadership. Dick travelled extensively in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Thailand often by flimsy, light, single-engine planes at a time before modern aircraft radar and communications facilities had been established. He photographed prolifically and produced from his slide collections, some really educational and challenging audio-visuals, in particular - "One Island - Two Nations", showing the new work that was opening in Irian Jaya.
Dick also was able to make a very substantial contribution to the exciting new work that was evolving in Mongar, Bhutan, under the pioneering expertise of Mollie Clarke who had exercised a dynamic ministry in Purulia,. West Bengal, India and who, in the years ahead, would be called to accept the key role of Personnel Director, based in London.
At this time, the Mission played an important role, along with other leprosy organisations, in setting up the All Africa Leprosy and Rehabilitation Centre (ALERT), at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. What Karigiri had become for India and, in fact, all of Asia, ALERT was becoming for the African region. Several important legacies left to the Mission at the time, including the large amount from the estate of Miss Ivy Gibbs, enabled the Mission in Australia, to take a number of bold steps forward, including the sending of a number of medical missionaries to all the new fields of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Thailand. In 1962 at a Consultative Meeting held on the Isle of Wight, a vital question was raised concerning the Name of the Mission to Lepers. It was felt by many concerned people, also many governments and those working in leprosy-endemic countries, that the use of the word "leper" was disparaging and demeaning. It was decided, therefore, to remove the word "leper" from the Mission's name and all its literature because of its cruel and negative connotation. It was decided, to call the Mission - "THE LEPROSY MISSION". The W.H.O. and American Leprosy Missions also were in accord and, after much debate, in a special meeting of the Mission held in London on 2 October 1965, the name of the organisation was changed from the Mission to Lepers to The Leprosy Mission. On 1st. January 1966, the Australian Auxiliary also accepted this change of name - a costly decision because the mission was now operating in over 30 nations.
In 1967, a qualified physiotherapist, Miss Jean Gardiner, was accepted for service and initially posted to Hay Ling Chau, Hong Kong, for more leprosy-related training and experience. . At this time, Dr. Rae W. Dungan, medical adviser to the Mission, was serving as a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian Auxiliary. While on a tour of India, he came upon the leprosy work being conducted by Keith Skillicorn and his wife Ruth. Keith, as Superintendent of The New Life Leprosy Clinic, an "Aided Institution" of The Leprosy Mission, was experiencing most difficult travelling conditions in conducting a number of clinics in remote jungle areas of Surguja, M.P. and Palamau, Bihar. Dr. Dungan suggested that the Mission arrange to provide the Skillicorns with a fully equipped mobile clinic. Jointly, with the Campbell Edwards Trust, the Mission provided the Skillicorns with the much needed vehicular equipment.
Thailand's leprosy needs had created the McKean Institute at Chiangmai, where, for a number of years, the American Leprosy Missions had been operating. The Church of Christ in Thailand was largely responsible for operating this notable centre but TLM was now also challenged to get involved, firstly by donating $10,000 towards providing housing for staff. Jean Gardiner was asked to leave Hong Kong and move to Chiangmai in 1968. Largely due to Dick McKeown, who had seen the great need for a doctor at McKean, Dr. Trevor Smith, a qualified physician and surgeon, with his wife, Heather, were accepted for service and left for the field in August 1969, first to train in reconstructive surgery at Hay Ling Chau, Hong Kong ("The Isle of Happy Healing") under Dr Grace Warren..
Further Australian staff appointments were:- (1) Helen Bayliss, a Victorian physiotherapist (left for Thailand in 1969), (2) Dhona Atkin, a nurse from New South Wales, and (3) Val Bock, who, after serving with the Methodist Overseas Mission in Papua New Guinea, joined the Chiangmai staff in January 1970. (4) Dr. Grace Warren, who had served exceptionally well, as a senior staff member, in Hong Kong's Hay Ling Chau, until closure of the latter, set up her headquarters in Manoram, south of Chiangmai, to take up her role as Travelling Surgeon and teacher/trainer of leprosy and reconstructive surgery, in particular.. (5) Dr Trevor Smith soon became very proficient as a leprologist and a surgeon, specialising in reconstructive procedures. In 1980, he was joined by (6) Dr. Barbara Mills, who, until her husband-farmer died, had also been working on the family farm. On becoming a widow, Barbara was challenged to take medical / surgical training to prepare herself for helping leprosy patients. This was considered quite a feat for a person of her age. In Chiangmai, Barbara organised the leprosy control programme and successfully carried out survey and treatment programmes in the rural areas in northern Thailand , doing an excellent job until her retirement after seven years of faithful service at Chaingmai. For his excellent service to the people of Thailand, in 1975, Dr. Trevor Smith was awarded the Order of the White Elephant, by the King of Thailand - quite and honour. Tragedy struck the Changmai team when Helen Liang (nee Bayliss - she had married a Thai leprosy technician) developed cancer. Inspite of constant pain and much inconvenience, daily she motor-cycled from her home in Chaingmai to the McKean Institute, to perform her physiotherapy duties until her long battle to survive came to an end.
In 1961, there was a significant turn of events when the Unevangelised Fields Mission (later to become the APCM), requested the Mission to assist in their Papua "Hansenide Project", at Balmo. Dr, Neil Fraser, former Superintendent of the Hay Ling Chau Centre, Hong Kong, was requested to draw up a report on the proposed Balmo Project. Dr. Paul Brand also was consulted, along with the London Mission Society and the Govt. of P.N.G.. Dr. Grace Warren, through a visit to Papua New Guinea, was also asked to give her impressions out of her considerable expertise.
It was obvious that the need was not just in the Balmo region of the western division of Papua; it was far more extensive. In January 1964, the Mission was approached by the Methodist Overseas Mission Board for a grant to help in the erection of an ablution and toilet complex at their Tari leprosarium . With London's approval, 2,800 pounds sterling was granted for the purpose which led to even greater things. In that year (1964) of the Mission's 90th. year of ministry, Dr. Paul Brand was requested to evaluate the P.N.G. situation. The initial team to work in P.N.G. comprised Dr Ken Clezy, Julie Christie (a N.Z. physio), and theatre sister, Val Taylor, who had been trained at Karigiri, India. On the team's first day of duty, the day following their arrival in PNG, they performed 8 surgical operations and, during their nine months together, carried out 500 operations on hands and feet. . Val Bock, who had been serving with the Methodist Missionary Society in PNG, was seconded to The Leprosy Mission and sent for specialist training at Karigiri, India.
In 1966, Miss Margaret McGillivray also joined the New Guinea Team, staying four years and, at the same time, Helen Bond, another Australian nurse, was appointed to the staff of the Mission's Papua New Guinea base, and stayed on until 1970, serving under Dr. W. Ramsay. Although Dr. Ramsay and his wife, Dr. Mrs R. Ramsay, stayed on the PNG field for only two years, they made a splendid contribution to the Mission's programme which had reached out with bases at Tari and Mount Hagen and control centres and out-stations at Aitape, Anguganak (Brethren work), Yampa, Mambisanda, Mendi, Mapodo, Koroba, Lake Kopiago, Nipa, Kutuba, Kagua and Erave. This area comprised a population of 70,000, living in very mountainous terrain. There was a leprosy incidence of 1% and a very real problem with so many deformities and ulcerations of feet, due to difficult, stony mountain tracks. This called for the setting up of a factory in Madang to manufacture microcellular (MCR) rubber-soled protective footwear with the MCR rubber sheeting being imported from Australia.
There was such rapid development on the Papua New Guinea field, with so great a need, that, in 1970, the following personnel were appointed - (1) Joan Halliday, to succeed Helen Bond, (2) Alan and Pam Packett, with Alex to serve under Dr. D.A. S. Russell, following training as a Leprosy Control Officer. Following the relocation of Alex to the Mendi area, the 3rd. phase of survey work, approved by the PNG government, began in Lalibu, Kagua and Pangia districts in the Southern Highlands. In 1973, the Govt. of PNG announced plans to nationalise all public health services which required the Mission to train more national nurses. Much of the training responsibilities fell to (3) Betty Cunnington, a Victorian triple-certificate nurse who responded to the challenge and was appointed to the Mission's centres at Nipa and Mendi. In 1974, the Govt. of PNG and the Mission signed an Agreement for the expansion of the survey and treatment program, calling for another 8 nurses to be trained, mainly under the oversight of Betty Cunnington. And, for such a calling, she was ideally suited.
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