Dr John Peter Bush AM KStJ
Tenth Commissioner of St John Victoria District, 1974-1980
Peter Bush was a Resident Medical Officer at St Thomas’ in the closing stages of the War, gaining experience with war wounded, for which he was awarded a war service medal. He was in General Practice, a St John member and Police Surgeon in Devon for 18 years before migration to Australia. He re-joined these activities in General Practice at Blackburn. He gave up General Practice to become the first full-time Director of the Emergency Department at Royal Melbourne Hospital. He was heavily involved in the development of the State Disaster Plan. He was recruited as Deputy Commissioner by Commissioner Jackson.
Dr Bush was described as “the architect for development of a coordinated hospital response” within Medical DISPLAN, as well as coordinating professional ambulance, St John and Victoria Police contributions. He was invested as a Knight of Grace in the Order of St John in1972. In 1977 he left RMH to become the first full-time Victoria Police Surgeon. In 1980 he was appointed Chief Surgeon at national headquarters, a position he held for the next four years. He retired in 1988 and returned to England where he died in 1993.
