Alan Finger
Encyclopedia
Alan Henry Finger was an Australian medical practitioner and communist.
He was born in Dandenong, Victoria
, to farmer Philip Charles Henry Finger and Minnie, née Freeman. He attended Maryborough and Melbourne High
schools and then the University of Melbourne
, from which he graduated in 1934. He joined the Communist Party of Australia
in 1933. Finger married Joan Mary Hardiman, a journalist active in the Communist Party, on 8 December 1934.
Finger was resident medical officer at Royal Melbourne Hospital
in 1935, but moved to South Australia
in 1936 to become outpatients' registrar at the Royal Adelaide Hospital
. He soon transferred to the Metropolitan Infectious Diseases Hospital in Northfield
, later being promoted superintendent. He remained at the hospital for eleven years, and in 1941 received a diploma of public health from the University of Sydney
.
Finger and his wife were important in the revival of the South Australian branch of the Communist Party. He contested state and federal elections consistently between 1943 and 1967, but after Nikita Kruschev's 1956 revelations about Stalin
's government he focused more on issues such as the peace movement
. Finger moved to Broken Hill
in 1947, in which year he and his wife divorced. In 1949, after returning to Pennington
in Adelaide, he married Jean Isobel Sams, née Marshall, a fellow divorcee, on 12 December. He was a full-time officer with the Department of Public Health from 1969 to 1975 and was recognised for his work on venereal diseases. He retired in 1977 and worked for a community health service in Kalgoorlie
. Following Jean's death in 1978, he returned to South Australia and re-married his first wife, who had also been widowed. Finger died at Heidelberg
on 24 January 1985 and was cremated.
He was born in Dandenong, Victoria
Dandenong, Victoria
Dandenong is a suburb and major urban centre in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 30 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Situated on Dandenong Creek and mostly flat land at the foothills of Mount Dandenong, it is the main administrative centre for the City of...
, to farmer Philip Charles Henry Finger and Minnie, née Freeman. He attended Maryborough and Melbourne High
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a selective entry state school for boys in years 9 to 12 located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Being a selective school, it is known mainly for its strong academic reputation...
schools and then the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, from which he graduated in 1934. He joined the Communist Party of Australia
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
in 1933. Finger married Joan Mary Hardiman, a journalist active in the Communist Party, on 8 December 1934.
Finger was resident medical officer at Royal Melbourne Hospital
Royal Melbourne Hospital
The Royal Melbourne Hospital , located in Parkville, Victoria an inner suburb of Melbourne is one of Australia’s leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research...
in 1935, but moved to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1936 to become outpatients' registrar at the Royal Adelaide Hospital
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital is Adelaide's largest hospital, with 680 beds. Founded in 1840, the Royal Adelaide provides tertiary health care services for South Australia and provides secondary care clinical services to residents of Adelaide's city centre and inner suburbs.The hospital is situated...
. He soon transferred to the Metropolitan Infectious Diseases Hospital in Northfield
Northfield, South Australia
Northfield is a suburb of the greater Adelaide, South Australia area. The earliest known record of the name being used in reference to the area, is from the 1890s in conjunction with the North Field Athletics Club...
, later being promoted superintendent. He remained at the hospital for eleven years, and in 1941 received a diploma of public health from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
Finger and his wife were important in the revival of the South Australian branch of the Communist Party. He contested state and federal elections consistently between 1943 and 1967, but after Nikita Kruschev's 1956 revelations about Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's government he focused more on issues such as the peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
. Finger moved to Broken Hill
Broken Hill, New South Wales
-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...
in 1947, in which year he and his wife divorced. In 1949, after returning to Pennington
Pennington, South Australia
Pennington is an outer urban suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.The suburb is residential, apart from a light industrial pocket to the south.-History:...
in Adelaide, he married Jean Isobel Sams, née Marshall, a fellow divorcee, on 12 December. He was a full-time officer with the Department of Public Health from 1969 to 1975 and was recognised for his work on venereal diseases. He retired in 1977 and worked for a community health service in Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
. Following Jean's death in 1978, he returned to South Australia and re-married his first wife, who had also been widowed. Finger died at Heidelberg
Heidelberg, Victoria
Heidelberg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule....
on 24 January 1985 and was cremated.