FEBRUARY 04

Obituary for

John Damian Tange
MBBS Qld MD Melb, FRCP FRACP (1935-41)
Prepared by Humphry Cramond (1938-41)

John (known alternatively as Damian by his friends) Tange was one of the outstanding successes of his era. He gained first place in the State in the Christian Brothers Sub Junior Examination in 1938. Then in 1939 he won the Byrnes Medal for first place in the State Junior University Examination – the first Nudgee scholar for twenty years to win that prestigious award.
Previous winners were Neal Macrossan 1904, Arthur Kelly 1906 and Douglas Lee 1919, indeed famous Nudgee men. John Sullivan repeated the feat in 1940. In the Golden Jubilee year of 1941, Damian was Dux of the College and won a University Open Scholarship.
He graduated in Medicine in 1947 and commenced a long and distinguished career as a general and renal physician, pathologist and researcher. In 1951 he obtained membership by examination of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and a year later of the Royal College of Physicians. Both of these Colleges subsequently elected him to Fellowship.
He served as a Medical Officer in the RANVR with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Matching his great intellect was the broad scope of his general interests. He was a prodigious reader particularly of literature and history and a collector of old and rare books of great variety and of fine wines.
It was typical of John that when he retired after distinguished service from the position of Reader in Pathology at Melbourne University, he was determined not to waste his talent and experience, so he took a position as Geriatrician at the Albury Hospital, entering a new phase of his medical life. There he enjoyed great popularity, respect and friendship as he continued to use his great knowledge, experience and ability with people for twelve years until shortly before his death.
John Tange was a man of great intellect and scholarship, a great doctor, a good friend and a loyal Nudgee Old Boy.