Sir John Ramsay

According to a card sent to William IV Bellenger's son, Ray, from Lady Ramsay, wife of Sir John Ramsay, she invited Ray to visit her and informed him that his father was employed with them for 25 years.

William's headstone makes note of the fact that he was "Driver for Sir John Ramsay of Launceston"

Brief history of Sir John Ramsay (1872 - 1944).

Born: Glasgow, Scotland

Surgeon

Ramsay was surgeon-superintendent, Launceston General Hospital 1898-1912, when he commenced private practice at St Margaret's, a hospital which he designed and built himself. In 1906 he performed the first successful resuscitation of the heart by massage in Australia, opening the thorax of a patient who had clinically died during an operation.

Career Highlights

• Born 26 December 1872. Died 6 February 1944.
• Educated University of Melbourne (MB, BS 1893, MS 1902).
• CBE 1924, knighted 1939.
• Resident medical officer, (Royal) Melbourne Hospital 1894,
• Resident medical officer, Auckland 1895,
• House surgeon, Launceston General Hospital 1895-1898, Surgeon-superintendent 1898-1912
• Private practice from 1812 at St Margaret's, a hospital he designed and build himself, later had consulting-rooms at Nelumie.
• Honorary consulting surgeon, Launceston Hospital 1912-17 1925-44, member of the board of management from 1929, chairman from 1933.
• Major in charge of surgery, Hornsey Military Hospital, Launceston during World War I.
• President, Tasmanian branch, British Medical Association 1925
• Foundation fellow, (Royal) Australasian College of Surgeons 1927
• Chairman, Northern Tasmanian division, St John Ambulance Association for 17 years (commander brother of the Order of St John of Jerusalem 1937)
• Member of the executive of the Medical Council of Tasmania, Crippled Children's Association, Anti-Cancer Campaign, and Red Cross Society.
• President, Launceston Club
• First chairman, Equity Trustees Co. of Tasmania and the Goliath Portland Cement Co.
• Director of the board, Kiwi Polish Co.
• The Sir John Ramsay Memorial Library at the Launceston General Hospital was established in his memory in 1944.