John Medley (vice-chancellor)

Sir John Medley
Vice-Chancellor, University of Melbourne
In office 1 July 1938 – 1 July 1951 (1938-07-01 – 1951-07-01)
Preceded by	Sir Raymond Priestly
Succeeded by	Sir George Paton
Personal details
Born	John Dudley Gibbs Medley (1891-04-19)19 April 1891 Oxford, England
Died	26 September 1962(1962-09-26) (aged 71) Harkaway, Victoria, Australia
Alma mater	New College, Oxford
Awards	Honorary D.C.L. (University of Oxford) (1948)

Sir John Dudley Gibbs Medley was an Australian businessman and administrator. He held the position of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Melbourne from 1938 to 1951.[1]

Early life

Medley was born on 19 April 1891 in Oxford, England to Dudley Julius Medley and Isabel Alice Medley (née Gibbs). He was the eldest of seven children.[1]

Military service

Medley was commissioned in 1914 in the 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welsh Regiment. He later served as a railway transport officer in France and Belgium.[1]

The University of Melbourne

Medley was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne on 1 July 1938, and oversaw the administration and leadership of the university through World War II. He was chairman of the Vice-Chancellors' Committee, which met regularly during the latter stages of the war to plan the activities of the newly founded Universities Commission[2] and the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme.[1]

Legacy

In 1971, the John Medley Building at the University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus was named in Medley's honour.[3]

Medley Hall, the smallest residential college of the University of Melbourne, was named in Medley's honour in 1955.[4]

Medley was a member of the Eugenics Society of Victoria, an organisation which, among other things, justified the White Australia Policy and the removal of Aboriginal children from their parents.[5] In the light of that, students at both Melbourne and Monash universities campaigned in the mid-2010s to rename the John Medley Building at Melbourne University and the John Medley Library at the Clayton campus of Monash University. [6]

The Monash campaign was successful and the library was renamed the Student Union Recreational Library (Surly).[7][8]

References

1. Serle, Geoffrey (2000). "Sir John Dudley Gibbs (Jack) Medley (1891–1962)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 15. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
2. "Universities Commission". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 1943-02-11. Retrieved 2025-01-20 – via Trove.
3. Goad, Philip. (2003). Architecture on Campus : A Guide to the University of Melbourne and its Colleges. MUP. ISBN 0-522-85059-6. OCLC 800332147.
4. "University accommodation: Our history". The University of Melbourne. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
5. Dobbin, Marika (2015-11-27). "Heart of darkness: Melbourne University's racist professors". The Age. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
6. Copp, Amanda (10 April 2017). "Link to eugenics spur Melbourne universities to rename buildings". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
7. "About the Library". Monash Student Association. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
8. Crozier, Jayden; Nichols, Bryda (25 February 2017). "A Medley Of Evil – A Dark History Of Our Student Union Library". Lot's Wife. Monash Student Association. Retrieved 20 January 2025.