Miss Laura Pratt, an Australian nurse, who has received the Royal Red Cross decoration from the King, is a native of Melbourne, and received her early training in the Alfred Hospital of that city. She went through a medical course in Edinburgh, and was special surgical nurse with Dr. O'Hara, of Melbourne. Later she relinquished the position of matron of the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on account of ill-health. At the outbreak of the war she was at the New Hebrides, and as soon as she was able to get back she offered her services to the military authorities, who sent her to Harefield as acting matron.

WAR ECHOES. (1916, July 27). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved May 31, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26986383

When he arrived back in Melbourne, Fay Maclure acted as a locum tenens for Dr. Reg Morrison in Toorak for six months. He later commenced consulting practice in Collins Street and in 1912 obtained an appointment at the Alfred Hospital as an outpatient surgeon. For several years he lived with Dr. Crawford Marshall in Mitford Street, St Kilda. Dr. Douglas Aitchison, who was a brother-in-law to Crawford Marshall, told me a story illustrating Fay Maclure's absent mindedness ; Fay frequently left his car somewhere and forgot about it, so one night, when he had left it in Mitford Street, his friends woke him and told him to put his car away. Fay had to get up and put his car in the garage and Dr. Aitchison said "that cured him". 

His first patient in Collins Street was Sister Laura Pratt, who had been a theatre sister at the Alfred when he was a resident. She told me that Fay Maclure called her either the "perfect lady" or the "perfect larrikin", according to his mood - P.L. being her initials in reverse. On the day that Mr. Maclure commenced practice, Sister Pratt happened to be in Collins Street, calling on a friend, Sister Gordon, at Dr. Orr's rooms. Sister Gordon told her that Fay had just started practice, so they decided to pay him a surprise visit. Sister Pratt disguised herself with dark glasses. She then went to Mr.  Maclure's rooms, the door was opened by an old Alfred nurse, who fortunately did not recognize her. She was then shown into the consulting room. Fay took a careful history and when he came to examine her wrist, which she said was injured, he saw the inscription in red ink "Perfect Lady". He had been completely taken in and was greatly amused. During the war, several years later, Sister Pratt was Sub-Matron in Harefield Military Hospital in England, where she met Mr. Maclure again. She also saw him at Sidcup where, she said, there was a wonderful spirit throughout the hospital. Fay joked with his patients, as being patrons of his beauty parlour.

A life of Alfred Fay Maclure, available online at Ancestors of Robyn Bray (viewed 31 May 2013.) 

Thank you to Christine Love for drawing this and the newspaper item to my attention.