Lumen Summer 2014 - Flipbook - Page 16
story by Be n Os b o r n e
I
n 1840, a young stonemason named
James Crabb Verco arrived in Adelaide
to help build the new colony of
South Australia.
Nearly 175 years later, his contribution
to the State can be measured in far more
than mere bricks and mortar. He began a
family dynasty which over the generations
has made a huge contribution to South
Australia through its strong links with
the University of Adelaide.
More than 15 direct descendants have
earned qualiûcations from the University,
with the majority of those coming from the
ûelds of medicine and dentistry.
The broader family contains many other
distinguished Adelaide names including
Margarey, McMichael and Ludbrook,
and not least of all J. Robin Warren,
who graduated in medicine in 1961
before going on to win the Nobel Prize
in Medicine in 2005.
James9 fourth son, Sir Joseph Cooke
Verco, was closely involved with the
University through his involvement in both
medicine and dentistry.
But it was a contribution that nearly did
not happen: he left school at the age of 16
and began work as a clerk in the railways
at Kapunda.
He quickly realised it was not the
type of career he had envisaged and
returned to school and studied classics
before matriculating.
After studying medicine in London
for most of the 1870s, he returned to
14 Lumen | Summer 2014
Adelaide in 1878 to pursue his career—a
move that coincided with the rise of the
newly formed University.
In 1885, along with Edward Stirling, he
helped found the University of Adelaide
Medical School, a move made possible
with funding from Sir Thomas Elder
and Mr J.H. Angas.
Sir Joseph9s nephew, William Alfred,
was one of the ûrst graduates from
the new Medical School in 1890. But
reprising his family9s masonry past, in
1912 he helped build the ûrst pre-stressed
concrete building in Adelaide, with the
engineer being none other than General
Sir John Monash.
Located at the corner of North Terrace
and Stephens Place, the Verco Building
was six stories high and remained
Adelaide9s tallest building for some 20
years. Sir Joseph also played a major
role in establishing the University9s Dental
School after World War I, acting as Dean
from 1920 to 1928. At the time he was
also Dean of Medicine.
These twin streams of medicine and
dentistry have continued to intertwine with
the Verco family ever since.
Several of James Crabb Verco9s
grandchildren went on to make signiûcant
contributions in both ûelds. Stanley and
Peter Verco were pioneers in radiology,
and Dr Peter Joseph Willis (Joe) Verco
was the ûrst graduate of the University in
the specialty of Paediatric Dentistry, and
just the second in Australia.
Joe is also the only dentist to have been
awarded a Baillieu Medical Research
Grant for postgraduate work.
His two brothers, Christopher and
William, both have medical qualiûcations
from the University—Medicine and
Dentistry respectively—while his son Sam
also obtained a dental and medical degree
and is now specialising in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
