Dear Colleagues,
It has been a long Covid era for all of us. My own news is that I closed our clinic in Redfern after 38 years in February. The once great pleasures were being overshadowed by the pains of running a solo medical practice: Covid, accreditation, wages, rosters and building maintenance. I am still winding things up and seeing a few patients on Fridays. An impacted fish-bone for two months (now dissipated finally) along with age and weariness made my decision even easier. Now, two months later it is a good feeling indeed.
I heard that Howard Roby is also retiring. Miriam Van Rooijen has cut her hours and I imagine many others have retired or are contemplating same. Geoff Peretz has also moved to part time. On Monday I spoke to Di Phillpot (Giblin) who told me that she was having dinner in the members’ stand at the Royal Easter Show with Annabelle Farnsworth, Suzie Rosenthall (Tait) and partners.
I ran into Fiona Stewart in the street in Potts Point recently. She was dressed up to the nines and strolling past some of the exotic shops in Macleay Street near my own city pad. I told her of my niece finishing her medical course at Notre Dame University and she expressed her view that medical education was not a patch on what we had all those years ago. Others may disagree.
Lynda Stevens (Marks) is holed up in Bowral while Greg continues to look after the sick and needy of western Sydney. Like Eddie Howe and others, Greg deserves an Order of Australia for coping with Covid in a major hot-spot … yet this is very unlikely for ‘mere GPs’.
Mike Campbell-Smith retired 3 years ago as GP and addiction consultant in Tamworth and has recently bought a house in Moss Vale with his wife Kelly who is a clinical psychologist. Mike is now the secretary and practice manager!
I see Bill Brooks at the opera. He dined recently with Mary Kathryn Dwyer (Ronsani) who is also a Potts Point neighbour. Bill is still doing Alzheimer’s research at UNSW but thinking of slowing down.
Andy Csillag at St Vincent’s was very helpful in reviewing my fish bone scans. Jenny Gray lives at Myocum near Mullumbimby and is attending a Blues festival this weekend with my sister Mindy with whom she has renewed acquaintance after living in Alice Springs at the same time many years ago.
Rob Finlayson is still heading a large busy ‘inner city’ practice at Taylor Square in Sydney. Michael Suranyi is still working full time in western Sydney while Margaret Hardy is fully retired but still doing high level sculls rowing and husband Paul is painting submissions for the Archibald and Sulman (good luck with all that competition!).
I have just learned that both Chris Needs and Peter Collignon have apartments in the Potts Point area so I hope to catch up with one or both some time soon (after my New York trip in May – if it happens!).
Since retiring I have spent more time in Bowral (Burradoo, actually) taking afternoon walks, sous vide cooking, star gazing and reading the Bard, plays and sonnets. I have just finished Cymbeline, an extraordinary comedy/romance using every trick of the stage, international affairs, mistaken identities, cross dressing, love, jealousy, revenge, murder, child stealing and political intrigue. It would make a brilliant mini-series … yet it is considered one of Shakespeare’s ‘lesser’ plays!
Please send your latest news for me to post on the blog … just a line or three to let colleagues know where you are placed.
Best wishes to all.
Andrew Byrne .. (Year Trouble-maker).
1978 Sydney University Medical Graduates social pages. (1971syduni.blogspot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment