P000508 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human McCarthy, G.J. updated 2025-12-18 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000508b.htm person Huckstep Ronald Lawrie CMG FTSE AACR2 22 July 1926 10 April 2015 Place of Birth Chefoo, China Place of Death Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Orthopaedic surgeon Ron Huckstep was born in China in 1926 and spent a large part of his youth interned in a Japanese camp. Despite this disruption to his education Ron went on to study at Cambridge and became an Orthopaedic Surgeon, working in England, Kenya, Uganda, and Australia. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George by Pope Paul VI for his work in Africa where he pioneered the surgical treatment of Polio. Ron Huckstep also went on to develop new treatments including the Huckstep Locking Nail and Skelecast.

At the end of the Second World War Ron Huckstep studied medicine at Cambridge and Middlesex Hospital. In 1952 Ron travelled to Kenya and witnessed an outbreak of Typhoid, the disease became the focus of the dissertation he completed at St Bartholomew's back in England in 1959.

Now an Orthopaedic Surgeon Ron returned to Africa and in 1960 became Professor of Orthopaedics at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. His work in Uganda involved extensive treatment of Polio patients and it was during this time that he developed the Sekelecast and pioneered surgical treatments for Polio patients in the region. It was this work that earned him the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George by Pope Paul VI.

Due to the political instability of Uganda under Idi Amin Ron Huckstep left Africa to settle in Australia and in 1972 became Professor of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the Prince of Wales Hospital. Prior to this he had spent two years as a travelling Professor for the Commonwealth Foundation. Described as a passionate teacher Ron continued to practice surgery until 1993, and continued to teach in a formal capacity through the University of New South Wales until 1998. In addition to his teaching Ron Huckstep also published widely producing academic articles and educational guides.

During his career he developed and pioneered new treatments for fractures including the Huckstep Locking Nail for complex trauma, the Huckstep Hip, cerclage clip, Huckstep ceramic knee, cannulated hip screws, ceramic spacers for tumour reconstructive work, and surgical treatments for primary bone tumours and metastatic bone fractures. These innovations have made a difference in the lives of both human patients and veterinary patients from dogs to elephants.

Later in his career Ron Huckstep became involved in mock training disasters and established the World Orthopaedic Concern, an International society focused on Orthopaedic care and education in the "Developing" world. In 1997 in partnership with Eugene Sherry he established an online resource 'WorldOrtho' although it does not appear to be online anymore, the site can be reached via the way back machine and includes articles, books, videos and quizzes aimed at medical professionals of various levels. Of final note Ron Huckstep was offered an Order of Australia but turned down the award claiming he didn't deserve it.

1960 c. 1970 Career position - Professor of Orthopaedics, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda 1970 1972 Career position - Travelling Professor, the Commonwealth Foundation 1972 1993 Career position - Professor of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital, New South Wales, Australia 1972 1998 Career position - Professor, University of New South Wales 1982 1987 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (FTS) 1984 1984 Award - James Cook Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales 1987 1987 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) [Awarded by AATS 1982] 1997 c. 2015 Career position - Founder, World Orthopaedic Concern The University of New South Wales (1958 - )

Professor of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 1972 - 1998

 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (1987 - )

Fellow 1987 [Elected Fellow AATS 1982]

 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (1975 - 1987)

Fellow 1982 - 1987

 James Cook Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales (1954 - )

Awarded the Medal 1984

Wikidata

 Huckstep, R L (1926-)

Trove

 'Huckstep, Ronald Lawrie (Ron)', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Huckstep, Ronald Lawrie (Ron) Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: WorldOrtho Huckstep, Ron and Sherry, Eugene WorldOrtho WorldOrtho 2016 Resource Section: The History of World Orthopaedic Concern Walker, Geoffrey The History of World Orthopaedic Concern World Orthopaedic Concern World Orthopaedic Concern Resource Section: Huckstep, Ronald Lawrie (1926 - 2015) Huckstep, Ann Huckstep, Ronald Lawrie (1926 - 2015) Royal College of Surgeons of England 2015 Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online Resource: Ronald Lawrie Huckstep Ronald Lawrie Huckstep Royal Australasian College of Surgeons c.2015 Resource: Vale Emeritus Professor Ronald L Huckstep Prince of Wales Clinical School Vale Emeritus Professor Ronald L Huckstep University of New South Wales Medical School 2018 Journal Article: Ronald Lawrie Huckstep CMG, MD, FRCS, FRACS Chapman, Jeremy Ronald Lawrie Huckstep CMG, MD, FRCS, FRACS 2015 Medical Journal of Australia 203 2 Ronald Lawrie Huckstep - Records Private hands (Huckstep, R.L.) Ronald Lawrie Huckstep - Records 1959 - 1987 Publication records 1962-87 (c64 items); reports 1959-87 (c50 items); lectures. 200 items approx.