USANZ History

• In 1914, Samuel Henry Harris (1887-1936) was appointed as the first full-time specialist urologist in Australasia.
• In 1935, Keith Kirkland initiated the formation of the Sydney Urological Association, with membership restricted to full-time urologists. The founding members were Harry Harris, Keith Kirkland, Reginald Bridge, Malcolm Earlam, Colin Edwards, Richard Harris (Harry's brother), John Laidley, Bobby Silverton and Angus Walker-Smith.
• In 1936, urologists from Brisbane and New Zealand attended the Sydney Urological Association's meeting and it was proposed to broaden the geographical scope of the Association.
• On 7 January 1937, the inaugural meeting of the new Urological Society of Australasia was held in Sydney.
• In 1944, the Society's annual scientific meeting (ASM) included a scientific program for the first time.
• In 1947, examiners in the speciality of urology for the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College Surgeons were appointed in New Zealand. Examiners were appointed in Australia the following year. Despite this, little formal training in urology was available in either country until the 1970s.
• In 1948, the Society was incorporated. At this time there were 42 Full Members.
• In 1949, the ASM included the first overseas guest, Eric Riches from London.
• In 1958, a meeting was held in Christchurch, New Zealand, beginning a broader rotation of the ASM.
• In 1963, Canberra hosted a meeting for the first time and it was also attended by the first woman to join the Society; Lorna Sisely, an Associate Member from Melbourne.
• In 1976, the RACS Specialist Surgical training committees became Surgical Boards and the Board of Urology was set up, giving urologists far greater control over the examinations for the Fellowship of the RACS in Urology.
• In 1987, Gail Hill was appointed as the Society’s secretary.
• In 1999, following a period as tenant of the RACS in Albion Street, the Society moved to its own premises in Edgecliff.
• In 2002, a full-time CEO was appointed, reflecting the growth in the Society, the complexities of running the training program and the annual scientific meetings, and the wider role of the Society as the representative of Australian and New Zealand urologists.
• In 2006, the name was changed to the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand.
• As of 2020, there were 750 members in Australia and New Zealand across all membership classifications, reflecting the substantial growth of the Society over time.

This information was taken from Sally Wilde's Joined Across the Water, A History of the Urological Society of Australasia (Melbourne: Hyland House, 1999).

Historically, the Coat of Arms of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) consists of the following elements:

• The crest is formed by a lynx, a member of the wild cat family with exceptional vision. The lynx holds aloft an archaic instrument called an Exploratorium in its forepaws, used in the Marian operation for stone, first described by Marianus, Sanctus de Bartella, in his second book Libellus aureus (1543) a landmark text in the history of urology.
• The mantling (fabric originally used to provide protection both from the impact of sword blows to the helmet and the heat of the sun in battle) is held in place by a wreath which forms the base for the crest, all of which sit atop a visored steel helmet turned to the right.
• The escutcheon, or shield, is divided vertically in two to represent both Australia and New Zealand and features the charge - a representation of the view seen through a cystoscope of the bladder neck with the lobes of the prostate - a symbol often associated with urology.
• The supporters standing either side of the shield are St. Cosmos and St. Damian, two early exponents of uroscopy - twin brothers and Christian doctors - both martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian (243-313). The brothers have been the patron saints of barbers and surgeons throughout Europe since the time of Emperor Justinian (482-565).
• The motto of the Society 'juncta per aquam' appears on the scroll at the bottom of the coat of arms and translates as 'joined across the water' representing the connection between Australia and New Zealand.

In 2011, the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand revised its coat of arms to give it a more contemporary feel and to better represent the organisation and its work in modern communications. The updated Coat of Arms retains all of the main elements from the historical Coat of Arms in a simplified and more streamlined format.