New Year wash-up for medical class of '78: remembering 45 years ago.

 

Dear Colleagues,

It is just 45 years since we became doctors.  Let me know if you are interested in a celebration dinner, perhaps at a golf club on the north shore or else maybe a city hotel.  Feb/March might be feasible unless Covid takes hold yet again.  Or we can celebrate in our own private ways and wait for a big pop for our 50^th by which time most would be fully retired. 

Many of you wrote glowing and sorrowful tributes on the death of our colleague Mark Henschke.  Numerous anecdotes were related from our earliest years at uni to more recent interactions with Mark and his family.  Sentiments arose about bike safety and how ill-prepared we are in Australia for two-wheeled travel.  Recent storms and resultant pot holes have made matters worse.  Obstetrics featured, along with teaching, travel, football and more. 

On a lighter note I have recently been in touch with many of you personally and by phone and email … one of the pleasures of being the ‘year trouble-maker’.  Lynda and Greg Marks still live between Sydney and Bowral (like me) with Greg still working full time (unlike me).  Lyn Starr is happily retired in Chiswick and takes the ferry into town from time to time.  Judy Stokes, Bernie Haylen and Julian Scullin (and Coffs GP Dr Stephen May) all helped greatly with communications during the terrible fortnight when Mark H was fighting for life in ICU.  They also helped with the memorial fund at the NSW Medical Benevolent Society (thanks to all of you who gave).  Jim Wall and Mike Campbell-Smith join me for coffee each week in Moss Vale as we are all retired and have lots of nothing to talk about.  The Van Rooijens still live in Bellevue Hill, Arnold retired from architecture practice and Miriam working cut back hours at PoW.  Ann Coady (Blake) is still living in Glebe and singing in her retirement (Sydney Philharmonia until Covid hit).  I have also had phone calls and/or messages from Jim Markos (Launceston), Tim Ingall (Mayo, Arizona), Agnes Kainer Geyer, Cheryl Hanbury (Headford) in the Southern Highlands, Michael Dudley, Val Kirychenko, Joan Tierney, Steven Jurd, Eva Berman, Ann and Allan Glanville, Justin Smith, Andrew Cole, Bill Brooks, Ingrid Rieger, John Vaughan, Mary Dwyer, Gerry Lister, Clive Lovell, George Dracos, George Kourtesis, Justin Smith, Phil Jeans, Andrew Csillag, Diane Phillpot, Suzanna Tait, Margaret Hardy, Soo Khim, Graham Blom (recently retired), Howard Roby, Minas Coroneo (still working), Louise Holliday, Judi Lanach, Robert Hall, Ian Freed (UK), Peter Collignon, David Farrar (in Oxford) and Annabelle Farnsworth.  Hope I didn’t leave anyone out! 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year for 2023 and hope for some more screeds on individual activities for the blog when time permits. 

Regards, Andrew Byrne ..

https://1971syduni.blogspot.com/

PS – I am still glowing as my niece Gracie Hay just graduated in medicine at Notre Dame University and starts her residency at Alice Springs (where she was born) in January.  She’s the 4^th generation doctor! 

Andrew's Opera (andrewsopera.blogspot.com)

Andrew's travels (ajbtravels.blogspot.com)

Since writing the above I have also been in touch with Paul Jones, Garvin Williamsz, Katherine Brown, Anne Gilroy, Alison Keeson, David Baines, Tony Sangster, Kerrie Meades and David Rowed.