A Tribute to the Late Dr. John Bergin
Jack Bergin was well known to many Australian doctors and to the pro-life movement around the world. He was a keynote speaker at the first conference held by St. Vincent's Bioethics Centre at Mannix College in 1985. He was commissioned to present a paper on the nature and role of the Catholic Physician which proved to be a most illuminating study. He submitted the paper for publication to the Linacre Quarterly, the journal of the American Federation of Catholic Physicians. It eventually won the annual prize for the best article published that year in the journal. In a way, that paper and that award summed up the life and person of Jack Bergin. He was born in Stratford, New Zealand in 1921, studied medicine at the Otago University and graduated in 1943. He served with the N.Z. Medical Corps in the Middle East, Italy and Japan. He married Lorna Stark in 1947 and did postgraduate studies in neurology in London. He returned to New Zealand where in 1956 he was appointed head of neurology at the Wellington Hospital. There he developed a modern neurological department with neuroradiology, neurophysiology and neurosurgery. His reputation as an outstanding neurologist spread throughout the country and the neighbouring Pacific Islands. At the same time, he was active in the life of the Catholic Church. He was an active member of the Catholic Doctors' Guild of Ss Luke, Comas and Damian and served as its Master. He was a main organiser of their national conferences and for many years was the Oceania delegate to the International Federation of Catholic Doctors. He and his wife Lorna were appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for the Family in 1982, partly in recognition no doubt that they had a strong family structure with eight children. I remember having dinner with them one Sunday night when the scripture readings for the day were reflected upon at the end of the meal. He played an important role in the development of the pro-life movement in New Zealand and was consulted by his Australian counterparts when a similar