George Garrett Burniston (23 November 1914 – 27 June 1992) was an Australian physician who specialised in

rehabilitation medicine Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), also known as physiatry, and outside the United States as physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM), is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life ...

. He had a long association with

Prince of Wales Hospital Prince of Wales Hospital is a regional acute government hospital located in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong, China. It is also a teaching hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Named after Ki ...

in Sydney and the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, having earlier worked as a public servant with the

Department of Post-War Reconstruction The Department of Post-War Reconstruction was an Australian Government department responsible for planning and coordinating Australia's transition to a peacetime economy after World War II. The department was established in December 1942 a ...

and Department of Social Services.

Early life

Burniston was born on 23 November 1914 in

Campsie, New South Wales Campsie is a suburb in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is 11 kilometres south west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is one of the administrative centres of the City of Ca ...

. He was the son of Daisy Belle (née Boxwell) and George Benjamin Burniston; his father was a butcher. He attended Summer Hill Intermediate High School and

Sydney Boys' High School Sydney Boys High School ('SBHS'), otherwise known as Sydney High School ('SHS') or simply High, is an Australian government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located at Moore Park, New South Wales, a sub ...

. He matriculated to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

in 1933, graduating

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

in 1939.

Medical career

Burniston began his career as a

resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...

at Hornsby District Hospital. He joined the medical branch of the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(RAAF) in 1940 and was soon seconded to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

's orthopaedic service in England, working under Reginald Watson-Jones and Henry Osmond-Clarke. He returned to Australia in July 1943 and the following year was appointed head of the No. 2 Convalescent Depot at

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Terri ...

. After the war's end he worked for the

as deputy coordinator and acting coordinator of rehabilitation for disabled ex-service personnel in New South Wales. In 1950, Burniston joined the Department of Social Services (DSS) as senior medical officer in New South Wales. He took a sabbatical in 1953, studying at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

as a

Fulbright fellow The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

and at

King’s College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. He was promoted to principal medical officer in the DSS in 1954 and was also the chief medical officer for the

Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service The Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service was an Australian Government body that provided rehabilitation and employment services to Australians with a disability from 1941 until 2015. At this time, the body was abolished and replaced with the more dec ...

. Burniston helped expand the availability of rehabilitation programs from a focus on ex-military personnel to the general population. In 1954 he proposed a national plan for rehabilitating the physically handicapped. Burniston was appointed director of rehabilitation medicine at Prince Henry and Prince of Wales Hospitals in 1963. He retired in 1979 but continued to work in an honorary capacity until 1985. He also became a senior lecturer at the

, securing accreditation from the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

for his training program, in the absence of an Australian qualification. He then helped establish a local diploma of physical and rehabilitation medicine. Burniston served terms as national president of the Australian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (1959) and state president of the Australian Association of Occupational Therapists (1963–1969). He was the inaugural president of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (1980–1982), which subsequently became a faculty of the

Royal Australasian College of Physicians The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is a not-for-profit professional organisation responsible for training and educating physicians and paediatricians across Australia and New Zealand. The RACP is responsible for training both ...

. He was also a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

's expert panel on rehabilitation medicine.

Personal life

Burniston was in a long-term relationship with

Don Dobie James Donald Mathieson Dobie (28 July 1927 – 25 November 1996) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the House of Representatives for over 25 years, representing the seats of Hughes (1966–1969) and ...

, a long-serving federal MP. The pair lived together from the 1950s, initially in Dobie's

South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a populati ...

flat and later in a seaside apartment at

Cronulla Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Boasting numerous surf beaches and swimming spots, the suburb attracts both tourists and Greater Sydney residents. Cronulla is 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central ...

. Outside of medicine he was also an amateur artist. He died in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

on 27 June 1992 at the age of 77.

Honours

Burniston was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1968 and

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in 1972. He was a fellow of the

Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators The Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) is an accredited specialist medical college comprising medical practitioners with specialist training in management and leadership of health services and systems. Fellows of the co ...

(1968),

Royal Society of Health Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is an independent, multi-disciplinary charity concerned with the improvement of the public's health. RSPH's Chief Executive is William Roberts, while its current president is Professor Lord Patel of Bradf ...

(1973), and

(1978). After his death, the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine established the George Burniston Oration in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burniston, George 1914 births 1992 deaths Australian rehabilitation physicians University of Sydney alumni Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Medical doctors from Sydney LGBTQ physicians Academic staff of the University of New South Wales Australian public servants Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George 20th-century Australian LGBTQ people