LIBRARY WEBSITE: Alan Walker Collection

Alan Walker Collection

The Alan Walker collection was donated to NT Health Library Services by the Walker family in 2010 after Dr Alan Walker passed away in 2007.

Items of interest

Background

The collection was formerly part of the personal library of Dr Alan Courtenay Walker AM, MB BS, FRCP, FRACP, FRACMA (1931-2007) who was appointed as the first paediatrician in the Northern Territory in 1967, and served as the head of paediatrics in Darwin Hospital and Royal Darwin Hospital from 1967 to 1996. He worked tirelessly to improve the health of Aboriginal children and is recognised world-wide as an authority in the field of Aboriginal Health. He was always interested in medical education, involving himself in organisations such as the Australian College of Paediatrics and the NT Postgraduate Medical Council.  He was also a strong supporter of Medical Libraries and was the Chair of the Darwin Library Committee. He also has a strong interest in Medical History.

During his 40 years in the Northern Territory, Dr Walker’s achievements were vast, and he had a major impact on both his patients and the medical profession here. One major accomplishment was developing Darwin Hospital into a recognised centre of excellence in paediatrics. Undoubtedly, the highest of all of Dr Walker’s achievements were the countless children’s lives that he saved and healed in his time here. In 1967 the Northern Territory was faced with a volatile public health situation; Aboriginal infant mortality rates were six times higher than what was considered acceptable in a western country. Five years on, this number had been halved and while there were many people involved in reducing this figure, Dr Walker has been credited with driving such a dramatic fall in infant morbidity. Dr Walker was one of the first medical professionals to acknowledge the health crisis faced by the Indigenous Australians, and set about improving the health care available to the young of the Aboriginal population. Through Dr Walker’s pioneering efforts the Darwin Hospital was recognised nationally for the work being done to improve the health and lives of Aboriginal children. This in turn attracted much needed doctors and nurses to work in the Northern Territory. Throughout his career, Dr Walker worked tirelessly to improve the health of children, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, in this part of the world, and improved access to paediatric services. In many ways, the dramatic fall in Aboriginal infant mortality seen since the 1970’s are almost entirely due to his work in setting up excellent hospital care and, in turn, paediatric specialist services in and visits to remote Indigenous communities. 

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1991 in recognition of his service to the advancement of children’s health, especially Aboriginal children. His work has been widely acclaimed and he was awarded the Geoffrey Marel Medal in 2003 for his contribution to pre-vocational medical training. He retired as Director of the Royal Darwin Hospital’s Division of Maternal and Child Health in 1995 and was appointed foundation Dean of the NT Clinical School in 1996. He has provided inspiration to many people over the years and the Alan Walker Collection is a reflection of his career and interests.

Access to the collection

The collection is held at the Darwin Health Library and may not be borrowed. Contact Library Services to view special collection items.

What is in the Alan Walker collection?

The collection consists of

• 158 items dating back to the 1900s

• Books, journal article volumes

• Material relevant to medicine, paediatrics, Aboriginal health