Gregory Deleuil: A Darwin boy, a Melbourne student, a Perth GP
[March 27, 1937 – September 6, 2026]
Dr Gregory Deleuil lived life to the full. He made the most of every chance to connect, assist and enjoy opportunities as they presented themselves. When he was with a patient, his attention was laser focused and his patience unlimited. At non-medical events in Perth, I often witnessed patients coming up to him for a quiet chat about something which had come up; Greg listened respectfully and always found a satisfactory response.
Greg hated double-speak and pretence and preferred the company of his army buddies to that of other doctors. He had no time for religiosity and the only time I saw him angry was when some holy roller came knocking on the door soliciting a donation. And yet, he respected the comfort religion provided to believers; it was just not his cup of tea. When government bureaucrats tried to deny assistance or support to Greg’s asbestos or military patients, they would feel the full force of Greg’s ferocity as he weaponized his considerable professional and administrative skills to overturn inequitable decisions.
For over 35 years, Greg was the doctor and medical advisor for the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia (ADSA) and in the course of his duties routinely submitted requests for scans and other medical tests. In fact, he was once investigated after accusations that he had been ordering too many medical scans. After an invitation from Greg, the official handling the file spent a day at the offices of the ADSA with Greg and his patients. Greg subsequently received a fulsome apology as well as a glowing recommendation from the investigator.
Greg often spoke of his “idyllic” childhood in the Northern Territories and made 1940s Darwin sound like a little boy’s adventure playground or, as he described it “a bombed out tropical slum” with endless possibilities. Having completed his medical studies in 1962 – as part of the first group of medics to be fully trained in the new West Australian Medical School – he went to Sydney to work as a locum. After a very nasty bout of, what was called then “Hong Kong flu,” he returned to Darwin in 1968 where he recovered and went on to build a thriving medical practice. All of that came to an end with Cyclone Tracy (December 24-26, 1974). Although his surgery survived the storm, the houses where his patients lived were gone.
Commenting on that experience Greg said:
“I don’t think anyone cared about asbestos [after Tracy] even though Darwin was a fibro asbestos city. You are talking about hundreds and hundreds of houses and you know the precautions they take now when they clean up one building site. In those days at the clean-up, and I was there, they were using bulldozers and graders and the uniform was a pair of boots, shorts, and no [hazmat] suits.
We will never know how many were affected for several reasons. Navy personnel at that time were also exposed on board ship anyway, so the clean-up was just another exposure to asbestos; the other people who were involved were civilian day labourers. From what I gather they would get paid a few bob for cleaning up. Darwin post cyclone was a real wild west town.”
“You couldn’t see plumes of dust because it was wet, but you could not eliminate it. If the cyclone had come in June then it would have been devastating, but it happened in December.”1
Greg and his wife Maris and three young children were evacuated to Western Australia where by happenstance he opened a general practice near the offices of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia (ADSA). When Robert Vojakovic, the ADSA’s President, learned of the top-rate medical equipment the new doctor had, he asked Greg to see the Society’s members. And so began an adventure which lasted for decades.2
As the medical consultant to the ADSA, Greg was at the center of asbestos issues in Perth, a city with one of the worst incidences of asbestos diseases in the world due to its proximity, in Australian terms, to the Wittenoom blue asbestos mine. Some years after Greg embarked upon his ADSA odyssey, his beloved mother Alice was diagnosed with mesothelioma, the signature asbestos cancer. Speaking about the devastating news, Greg said:
“When my mother got sick, the irony was that she had mesothelioma from her time in Darwin. She was the matriarch and she cleaned the house built in 1936, filthy with fibro asbestos sheeting, moulded asbestos louvres. The thing with fibro-asbestos is that glues held it all together. I can remember my mother cleaning the louvres and the asbestos would just crumble.”3
Alice Deleuil died nine months after receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis (1996). Greg’s battle with asbestos had now become personal.4
I believe that over the years Greg saw more asbestos patients than just about any other medic. In 1999, he was named as the recipient of the prestigious Professor Eric G. Saint Memorial Award by the Society for his services as a “General Practitioner and Medical Officer” to the ADSA.5 A few years later (2003), he received the Centenary Medal from the Australian Government for his commitment and unstinting efforts on behalf of the asbestos-injured. On January 26, 2006, he was named a Member of the Order of Australia in the honours list published on Australia Day.6 Robert Vojakovic, President of the ADSA, praised Greg’s “support and courage beyond the call of duty,” saying:
“Dr. Deleuil has achieved recognition and reputation as a doctor of extraordinary compassion without fear and favour to make a stand for a just cause… Over the last nineteen years Dr. Deleuil has examined and treated more than 18,000 patients who had been exposed to asbestos and indeed he made a huge contribution to the well-being of the Australian community.”
Dr. Deleuil’s work was not limited to assisting Australian asbestos victims; for several years, he worked to forge links and raise awareness about asbestos hazards overseas. He lectured at asbestos events in Poland, Slovenia, Belgium Holland, Scotland and Northern Ireland and spoke at meetings of asbestos victims’ groups in Leeds, London, Barrow-in-Furness, Cardiff, Manchester, Portsmouth. Dr. Deleuil gave evidence to the British Parliament on Australian asbestos developments at annual asbestos seminars of the All-Party Asbestos Sub-Group of 2004 & 2006. He did not pull his punches and berated the British Government for failing to do anything to encourage or support homegrown mesothelioma research.7
At an asbestos seminar held by the European Union in 2015, Greg lost his temper with the Brussels bureaucrats who clearly had nothing substantive to offer. During an official intervention, he asked why no one had yet mentioned a subject of paramount importance to us all – research into treatment and possible cures for asbestos-related diseases. Given that all Europeans were likely to have inhaled asbestos and that there was no way to extract the fibers from the human body, a coordinated European research effort along the lines of that being pursued in Australia was crucial, Greg argued. He was right, of course.8
 Dr Greg Deleuil speaking at the Conference Report: Freeing Europe Safely from Asbestos. June 24, 2015. EU Parliament, Brussels, Belgium. Picture from the IBAS Archive. |
For his work on behalf of asbestos victims on June 18, 2019 Greg was presented with the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund Lifetime Achievement Award at a celebratory lunch in London by the trustees of a leading UK research charity named in honor of mesothelioma victim June Hancock who overturned years of legal intransigence and corporate obstruction to win compensation for victims of environment asbestos exposures in a landmark case at the High Court.9
 Presentation to Dr. Deleuil (center) of the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund (JHMRF) Lifetime Achievement Award. Photo courtesy of the JHMRF.10 |
On January 21, 2021 the Naval Association of Australia presented Greg with an award for his “dedication to the professional treatment of navy personnel” at an event at the ADSA offices with Jim Lorrimer, representing the Western Australian Section Inc. of the Association, praising Greg’s “dedication to the professional treatment of navy personnel.”11
 Picture courtesy of the ADSA. |
Commenting on this honor, the ADSA’s CEO Melita Markey said:
“Through Dr Delueil’s unique insight into military life and dedication to service he has been able to support naval and other military personnel through their respective journeys with asbestos-related diseases. Sadly, many service personnel were exposed to deadly asbestos fibres working in ships and buildings – lagged with asbestos for its insulation and fireproofing qualities – and helping clean up disaster zones in Australia and abroad. For more than 30 years, the ADSA has been very proud and privileged to work with Dr Greg Delueil AM, RFD.”
To underscore the esteem in which this much-loved West Australian doctor was held and to show the appreciation of us all, in 2021 the British illustrator Ned Jolliffee was commissioned to translate our feelings into art!
 The other flying doctor! Picture from the IBAS Archive. |
Following Greg’s death on Father’s Day (September 6, 2026), the ADSA’s CEO Melita Markey uploaded this tribute on LinkedIn:
“Dr ‘D’ transcended the airs that many physicians can surround themselves with and was truly a man of the people. When my father, Robert, called upon him to help in the plight of our members, he joined without hesitation. Many people may not realise that Dr D was our family GP long before the ADSA began. Over the years, he became not only a pillar of ADSA but also a personal source of strength and support to me… To Dr D, Western Australian lives mattered, and his legacy will continue to live on through the countless people he cared for and supported.”
Our sincere condolences go to Greg’s daughter Saurenne, his son Beau and son-in-law Will and all their families including his four grandsons. Greg’s wife Maris and daughter Chantal predeceased him. Anyone who knew Greg, knew how much he cherished them all. Our thoughts are with the members of the ADSA who will be keenly feeling the loss of this truly wonderful man. On a personal level, my husband and I valued Greg’s friendship and that of his army buddies, whose self-imposed nickname was the “gnomes.” The glazing of the Christmas hams, the gin tasting sessions, the vineyard lunches, film nights, Thai take-aways, fish suppers and encounters in Perth, Margaret River and Mandurah were unforgettable! The time we spent together at home, at the ADSA offices and at asbestos events in Australia and abroad will remain amongst our most treasured memories.
September 8, 2026
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1 A Life Devoted to Asbestos Victims. April 2019. Medical Forum.
https://www.mforum.com.au/a-life-devoted-to-asbestos-victims [No longer available].
Kazan-Allen, L. Australian Awards for Campaigners. April 30, 2003.
https://www.ibasecretariat.org/lka_aus_awards_aus_campgs_03.php
2 Kazan-Allen, L. Confronting Australia’s Asbestos Catastrophe. April 20, 2012.
https://www.ibasecretariat.org/lka-confronting-australias-asbestos-catastrope.php
3 A Life Devoted to Asbestos Victims. April 2019. Medical Forum
https://www.mforum.com.au/a-life-devoted-to-asbestos-victims [No longer available].
4 June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. Lifetime Achievement Award for Dr. Gregory Deleuil. June 18, 2019.
https://www.junehancockfund.org/2019/news/lifetime-achievement-award-for-dr-gregory-deleuil/
5 A Life Devoted to Asbestos Victims. April 2019. Medical Forum.
https://www.mforum.com.au/a-life-devoted-to-asbestos-victims [No longer available].
6 Aust Day honours recognise WA achievers. June 25, 2006.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-01-26/aust-day-honours-recognise-wa-achievers/785950
7 Kazan-Allen, L. Westminster Asbestos Seminar. July 23, 2004.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka_wm04_sem_rep.php
Kazan-Allen, L. Westminster Asbestos Seminar. September 4, 2006.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka_westminst_sem_rep_06.php
8 Kazan-Allen, L. Conference Report: Freeing Europe Safely from Asbestos. June 24, 2015. EU Parliament, Brussels, Belgium. September 1, 2015.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka-report-brussels-conf-june-24-2015.php
9 Kazan-Allen, L. Remembering June Hancock. British Asbestos Newsletter. Summer 2007, issue 67.
http://www.britishasbestosnewsletter.org/ban67.htm
10 June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. Lifetime Achievement Award for Dr. Gregory Deleuil. June 18, 2019.
https://www.junehancockfund.org/2019/news/lifetime-achievement-award-for-dr-gregory-deleuil/
11 Kazan-Allen, L. Asbestos Heroes & Villains: 21st Century Reboot. March 17, 2021.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka-blogzxa176.php
