[3] In 1942, aged 23, Docking enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force and was based in the UK where he was involved in coastal defence as the navigator on a Bristol Beaufighter.
Flying off the Dutch coast in 1944, the plane was hit and Docking and the pilot ended up in a rubber dingy in the North Sea.
After the war Docking attended Melbourne University to study Fine Arts and Philosophy, graduating in 1951 with a BA.
Based on his experience gained traveling throughout New South Wales, Docking brought to his new role an overview of how regional art galleries could best evolve.
[8] Docking also championed the young artist Brett Whiteley and in 1959 the Newcastle Art Gallery became the first public institution to purchase his work.
[11] This was the beginning of a number of important purchases which included a number of significant works by New Zealand artists: Rita Angus's Portrait of Betty Curnow[12] 1942, Gordon Walters Painting No 1[13] 1965, Colin McCahon The Marys at the Tomb[14] 1947, Michael Smither Rocks with Mountain[15] 1968, and Doris Lusk's The Pumping Station[16] 1958.
A selection from the programme at this time included: While director of the Auckland City Art Gallery Docking also wrote a comprehensive book covering the history of New Zealand painting.