Andrew Byrne’s introduction
and welcome to 45th year reunion dinner of Sydney University
graduation year of 1978. Sat 29th
April 2023, Moore Park Golf Club.
We acknowledge that we are
gathered on Gadigal Land and we respect its custodians down the ages.
Welcome to our 45th
year reunion dinner from Sydney University Medical Graduation class. It is so nice to see so many here and equally
that so many others who cannot attend have sent their regards and best wishes.
Sometimes as reunion
organiser I feel like a “switchboard operator” who can eavesdrop on many
private lives and learn what people can do with a medical degree … as well as a
lot more beyond straight medicine. I
have been related terrible stories of misadventure, illness, injury,
litigation, etc. But for each such story
there was a salutary or celebratory story of note. Children, grandchildren, graduations, awards,
renovations, farming, exotic travel, etc, etc.
If I took notes after every message or phonecall I would have a
veritable encyclopaedia on our year … but my mind is now a sieve.
Our dear departed colleague Mark
Henschke’s bike accident and death was felt most acutely by those hearing daily
reports from ICU, each ever hopeful yet inevitably ending in his passing,
funeral and legacy. Julian Scullin,
Bernie Haylen, Stephen May and Mark’s Coffs Harbour GP were in constant
contact. There was an outpouring of
grief and sadness from colleagues.
Just four weeks ago Dr Jeremy
Colman was fully exonerated after 7 years of extraordinary legal machinations
including two long court cases, worthy of any detective novel. In musical drama we would call it ‘rescue opera’. Despite a happy ending, the delays, costs, stress
and difficulties endured were extraordinary.
Jeremy sends his best wishes to all and would be pleased to hear from
individuals as he finds his way back to some sort of normality.
Sub-groups in our year: for
many years a group of women have met up on Sydney’s north shore Judy Stokes,
Romany White, Ingrid Rieger, Annabelle Farnsworth, Di Phillpot, Anne Pike - and
sometimes including Russell White as a token male.
Concord Tutorial Group
reunion in Newcastle recently. Max Lenzer, John Christie, Toby Faye, Vicky
Sutton and Gerry Lister.
Mike Campbell-Smith, James
Wall and I regularly have a coffee in Moss Vale. Ian Rewell joined us recently on a Highlands
visit. Lynda Marks lives up the road,
Greg still working in Sydney.
I occasionally run into long
time Highlands doctor (now retired) Cheryl Headford (Hanbury) at the Bowral shops
… The other “long-haul” highlanders include Marg and Peter Malcolm along with
Simon and Marise Grant/Hely. The rest of
us are newbies by comparison. Any others
with plans to relocate to this ‘costa geriatrica’?
The strangest group of all
might be Column 8 in the SMH: Jim Wall, Tim Ingall, Ian Rewell and Bill Brooks
have had numerous interactions over the years, Tim being the most regular,
despite living in the USA (Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale AZ). I am sure there are other ‘groups’ on NSW
North Coast, ACT and elsewhere … would love to hear more.
Challenges of retirement …
many are the same as challenges of old age … body and brain don’t perform as
they once did. I am staggered at how many
are involved in music … playing, teaching, singing, even composing. All I do is listen to opera and then
criticise it! And cooking, especially
slow cooking, plus recently discovered the joys of lentils, dahl, naan bread,
avgolemono soupa, Hungarian goulash and more.
I have been re-reading
Shakespeare, aided by Google Maps and internet searches. I now know the exact distances from Birnam
Wood to Dunsinane; Mantua to Verona; London to Rochester and Canterbury and
so forth … most telling, perhaps, was Henry Bolingbroke’s landing point back
in England, Ravenspur which, along with half a dozen other peninsular villages
has now been resumed by the North Sea and is little more than a sandy spit with
a lighthouse and monument to Henry IV. Wiki
tells us that sea levels have already risen 15-25cm, something which surprised
me (I thought it was millimetres only). What
chance the world ahead?
Some wild-card year members
have been in touch recently. Ron Lopert
sends greetings from across the ditch.
Peter Vandyke is now in Bellingen, moved from Dorrigo. All were happy to converse and send regards
for a nice night tonight. Lucia Glumac
sent regards a while back. Bronwyn Lee
has written. Most are on the blog for
those with time to read it. You might find
yourself there! And some very old mug
shots!
On the same day I spoke to
two female interstate colleagues who each pointed out that they were not very
sociable, one lived in college and both said that they had not done anything much
in their careers. On closer probing both
had done novel and substantial things from GP base … pain management,
addiction, Aboriginal Health, brain injury and rehabilitation. And these were not professors of medicine, TV
personalities or decorated citizens yet their work was as worthy as any in our
year (not wishing to compare, which could be odorous).
My THANK-YOU list is
extensive for this gathering, blog, photos, archives, menu, venue, etc. Judy and Ian Stokes are on a road trip around
Australia, Jim Markos took many of the photos you see on the screens and more;
Ingrid Rieger, Katherine Brown, Julian Scullin, Bernie Haylen, Jim Wall also for
finding lost contacts and much more. Thanks
also to Michaela, Drina, Michael, Chef Andy and their staff for strident
efforts at Moore Park Golf Club to make our evening such a pleasure.
I hope you are enjoying the
evening … but now a few brief words (‘no speeches’) from Steve Jurd and then
Peter Collignon … followed by anyone else who would like to take the microphone.
AB ..
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Bernie and John
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