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Ronald Doig
Ron Doig, physician, was the eldest child of Keith McKeddie Doig (1891-1949), and Louie nee Grant of Colac, where his father, Keith, an ‘Old Collegian’ was a general practitioner. Ron was named after a close friend of his father’s, Harry Ronald Collier who had been killed in 1918 during World War I. Ron Doig first went to school in Colac, later commencing at Geelong College as a boarder in 1934 where he became a keen member of the Science Club and Swimming Committees. An excellent student, he was named Dux in 1937 and won the science and mathematics prize as a student of the Honour VI Form in 1938. His brother, Dr William (Bill) Doig also attended the College from 1934 to 1940. After leaving the College in 1938 Ron studied medicine at Melbourne University where he enlisted in the army on 16 May, 1941 though he continued studying medicine. In 1944 he joined the RAAF and was posted to New Guinea.
After World War II he worked with the Walter and Eliza Hall Researdh Institute investigating the gastric system, travelling to New York as a Fulbright Scholar in 1950 and to London as a Nuffield Fellow in 1953. He returned to the Walter and Eliza Hall but in 1956 established himself in private practice and commenced a career as a consultant physician. He first married to Patricia ‘Pat’ nee Gray in 1948 with whom he had two children. Following her early death he re-married to Carmel nee Jowett with whom he shared many interests including music. In his ‘retirement’ he was a volunteer mathematics tutor with the U3A, Vision Australia and helped many other organisations as a volunteer.
Sources: Obituary by Alison Harcourt and Bill Doig. The Age (Melb) Newspaper 4 October 2006 p18.