The Dunlop Foundation has strengthened its ties with the High School that young Ern Dunlop attended from      1921-23 before heading down to Melbourne to begin his University studies.

The Foundation will sponsor the ‘Weary Dunlop Foundation Award‘ for the Benalla P-12 College Year 9 student selected by the school as a high achiever in the maths/science areas, and who aspires to enter one of the health disciplines. Appreciation of Sir Edward’s story and legacy will be included in the selection criteria.

Executive Principal Tony Clark said he is confident that the award will inspire students and will make a difference in a country student’s life.

This initiative continues our association with the school which last year saw our participation in the opening of the magnificent Year 10-12 Weary Dunlop Hub building at the school’s Faithfull Campus.

Lt to Rt: Foundation Chair Mr Mike O’Meara, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Mr James Merlino, and School Principal Mr Tony Clark at the opening of the Weary Dunlop Hub.

The annual Weary Dunlop Symposium was held under different circumstances as part of Austin Health’s ResearchFest on 7th October 2020. Using the Teams platform, over 150 participants and viewers joined the broadcast to hear updates on Dunlop funded research from the researchers themselves.

We heard from Dr Sandra Iuliano on how dairy supplements in older adults has been found to reduce the incidence of falls and fractures, from Dr Priya Sumithran on exploring gut feelings to improve the treatment of obesity, and from Professor Andrew Gundlach on drug treatments of chronic pain and emotional disorders.

Each presenter acknowledged the importance of the Dunlop Foundation contribution to the progress of their projects, all of which had particular relevance to Veterans and their families.

We look forward to next year’s event, hopefully in more conventional circumstances.

Many thanks to Professor Jeffrey Zajac and the team at Austin for organising this event.

The Foundation was very proud to see our elder statesman Director, Fred Cullen OAM recognised in the Governor -General’s Kindness in the Community Awards. This post appeared on the Governor General’s Facebook page on 13 July 2020:

If every Australian did one act of kindness a day for the month of July, that would be 775 million acts of kindness in July (and 9.3 billion acts of kindness every year).

Mr Fred Cullen OAM from the Weary Dunlop Foundation is a terrific example of kindness in our community.

A veteran of the Second World War, Fred has been doing good works for most of his life (and that’s a long time). At 99 y.o. he still exudes kindness in his relationships, but never in a self-seeking way. His is an energetic and altruistic kindness that both recognises the worth of people and works to improve their welfare. This shines through in his advocating for Veterans’ and war widows’ benefits, and in his tireless tin-rattling for the Weary Dunlop Foundation and RSL over many decades. His genuine kindness and thoughtfulness serve as an inspiration to all, encouraging us to examine our own behaviours. Perhaps his kindness gives a clue to his longevity and contentedness.

The Weary Dunlop Foundation supports our veterans and their welfare, funds medical research and continues the legacy of Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop.

The Governor-General is delighted to serve as their Patron-in-Chief and support their work and their members like Mr Cullen.

Well done Fred!   

Thirty-eight Years Supporting Veterans’ Medical Research!

The Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Medical Research Foundation conducts an annual Weary Dunlop Appeal, providing an opportunity for Australians to give generously to help Australian medical research; a chance to perpetuate the selfless and steadfast spirit of the Foundation’s inaugural patron, Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop.

Its launch throughout Victoria coincides with the Commemorative Service on 12 July, at the Shrine of Remembrance, and runs for two weeks. The service is attended by patrons, political and academic dignitaries and also representatives of the Australian Defence Forces, the RSL network and other service organisations.

During the two weeks of the appeal, we seek generous donations from the public of Victoria, the ex-service community such as RSL sub-branches and other ex-service organisations, and schools and community groups.

The Foundation is committed to helping young Australians learn about and appreciate the legacy of Sir Weary. To this end we have asked practicing teachers to produce resources appropriate to the following curriculum areas:

• Primary Schools at Year 6 – Australian Curriculum: history – What contribution have significant individuals and groups made to the development of Australian society?
• Secondary schools (history, civics and citizenship, English – creating biography) as a case study providing a short evidence-based approach to help students understand the significant contribution of Weary Dunlop to the Australian prisoners-of-war on the Burma-Thai Railway, and afterwards. It takes students through a variety of evidence, and provides a model that can be used to investigate other significant people in twentieth century Australian history.

See These Resources

On behalf of the Directors of the Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Medical Research Foundation I have pleasure in presenting this annual report to the members of the Foundation and to our interested stakeholders.

ANNUAL REPORT (INCLUDING FINANCIALS) 2022

Robert Winther OAM
Foundation Chair

It was with deep regret that we were forced to cancel this year’s annual ‘in-person’ Weary Dunlop Service,
but we look forward to gathering once again at the statue on the occasion of Weary’s 114th birthday in 2021:
                                  10:30am for 11:00am
                                  Monday 12th July 2021
                                  Weary Dunlop Statue, Kings Domain
                                  St Kilda Road Melbourne