Update from Chris Fenton ... what a life!! And it continues! More strength to you, Chris!

Chris Fenton here.

Well done, Andrew, for so many years of being the centre point of our year's communications.

 If anyone is interested I will give you an update on me.

 I have been practising, as one of two alternating GPs, in the mining town of Middlemount in the Central Highlands of Queensland since 2012.

After 7 years of FIFO work in Middlemount – 2 very busy weeks on and then 2 weeks off – returning to Sydney every time when off I have moved to live in the town in March which was very fortunate with the travel restrictions between NSW and Queensland kicking in almost the moment after I moved.

I have a son, Douglas, living in Singleton, who is working in the Environmental Department of Yancoal, so we have both ended up in close association with the Coal Mining Industry.

He is trying to protect the flora and fauna and the community from the environmental impact of the coal industry and I am trying to look after the employees of the coal mines and their families.

Coal mining, especially in Queensland, remains a very risk heavy undertaking with multiple deaths every year and hundreds of significant and eventually career ending injuries – the latter being largely invisible. https://www.amsj.com.au/queensland-fatal-mining-accidents-2019/

Douglas is a confirmed bachelor and has gained great satisfaction from renovating a heritage home in Singleton built in 1864 and returning to rowing recently after many years absent since his school days.

Douglas’s twin brother Hugh is a film maker in Adelaide who has developed a very successful business videoing conferences and seminars and training courses for South Australian Government Departments and editing them from two days down to two hours, with the two hours having great impact, and giving the viewer real value for the time spent watching.

The changed mind set this year has brought about may mean that we will see the near demise of the face to face conference and the professionally edited video format – which is a great deal more sophisticated and complex than just zooming in to a meeting – looks like it will become more and more important, if the purpose is teaching or informing people, as opposed to being a medium for a live Committee or Board Meeting or business discussion which is so well suited to zoom or similar media.

Hugh is married to Kate and they have a 4 and a 6 year old which, with me living in Queensland and their being in South Australia, has meant that there has not been any getting together at all this year.

Hugh and Doug’s Mum is Peta – sister of Ian Cook – who is happily re-partnered for the last 13 years or so and living on the Central Coast.

I am recently remarried to Anna, from the Philippines, and we have just bought a house in Yeppoon, where we will now spend our two weeks off, out of every four, with the aim of retiring there in a few more years.

My chief purpose in life for the last 14 years has been to establish an NGO in Timor-Leste which, over these years, has been through three significantly transitioning iterations and is now, since October 2017, called Maluk Timor.

It has taken a great deal of my time and effort but has been the most rewarding and interesting endeavour of my life.

I have been CEO from 2006 until February of this year, having clocked up exactly 50 self- funded trips there since 2006 and, cumulatively, 2 – 3 years there over that time.

I remain very involved in the work although, this year, have been unable to go there for the first time, because of Covid.

The NGO now has 14 international staff who have stayed in country throughout this year and 70 Timorese staff and has become a very substantial medical NGO aiming to assist the T-L MOH to deliver improved primary health care across the island.

If interested, having a look at the website www.maluktimor.org rewards the visitor well I think.

I hope our numbers do not diminish any more for some time – over the years we have lost quite a few it seems which is premature and sad.

I know that you have marked the passing of each of our year mates.

Can you list again those who are no longer with us? It would be good if more of the year would stay in touch through you.

It is 43 years since the end of our last year together.

It went by pretty quickly.

Best wishes to you Andrew and to everyone else in the year as we all continue to try to do our best with the life that we have.

Chris

Chris Fenton   0421 220783

Syd Uni Med graduates ahoy!

 Dear Friends and Colleagues,

 After an autumn and winter of Covid I finally put pen to paper (or the digital equivalent) to contact my oldest, nearest and dearest who just might be in need.  As we launch into spring many are suffering lockdowns, illness, financial stress and other negative sentiments.  Some still working, others retired, yet we all have needs and might depend on old friends in such times.  Covid matters are looking positive in Australia yet the opposite in America and Europe.  Please send your own news and photos … here are some snippets.  

 We were pleased to have Miriam and Arnold van Rooijen visit us in Bowral a few weeks ago.  We had the company of Annabelle Farnsworth and Robert in Potts Point recently too (“Lotus 2.0” restaurant in Potts Point).  Their two sons are in London and New York.  Every family has a Covid story – some VERY stressful.  I ate Thai with Bill Brooks last Friday near both the Wayside Chapel and “The Apollo” which has reopened: they now finally take bookings, so no need to queue up for great Greek food - and eliminating one rather obvious Covid risk. 

 I get occasional round-robin emails from Judy Stokes (and Ian), Steve Jurd (and Libby), Jim Markos in Tassie.  Each with stories but all seem to be coping in the face of the difficulties.  I hear on the grape vine about Anne Pike, Di Philpot, Romany & Russell and the Glanvilles.  Jal (Bin Jalaludin) has been in touch after writing some insightful pieces about air pollution from the terrible fires last summer (see August MJA).  Lynda and Greg Marks have also been in touch, living between Sydney and Bowral.  Lynda has retired and we have had coffee here in Bowral.  Minas Coroneo wrote a paper about ophthalmic consequences of Covid virus including possible protections from an unexpected medication (hydroxychloroquine!).  Furthermore, it appears from surveys in Wuhan, China, that simply wearing glasses may be a significant protection against contracting the virus.  Eddie Howe continues his general practice and is a closet opera fan.  Tim Ingall has been doing some important work on stroke rehab and prevention, doing largely Telehealth consultations as the Mayo Clinic has closed off most face-to-face physician consultations.  I gather that Clive Lovell’s Macquarie Street general and aviation practice has slowed somewhat as there are fewer workers in the CBD and fewer planes in the air.  Peter Collignon continues to contribute to major health decisions in Canberra.  I received messages from Bernie Haylen, Mary Kathryn Dwyer, Julia Arnold, Peter Bennett, Mark Henschke, Helen Hopkins, Agnes Kainer Geyer and Katherine Brown in May of this year after my last missive.  Apologies if I have left anyone out. 

 For myself I continue to run the Redfern surgery four days per week and have been trying to patronise local businesses and carry on mostly as before.  Restaurants, specialty stores, hardware, nurseries, etc.  Coles and Woollies provide some of the essentials but Aldi is much cheaper for both the staples and some exotica (they have their own Champagne label!).  Harris Farm is expensive but reliable for special supplies.   Despite mostly being on social services, my own patients steadfastly refuse to walk the extra three blocks to Aldi but use the Coles and Woollies nearby in Redfern.  [end of commercial]

 Please send any of your news/pix so I can put them onto the web blog.  http://1971syduni.blogspot.com/

 Also, let me know if there are any needs out there … at least take this as a genuine attempt to commune and reconnect, if somewhat late in the piece.  Happy to provide contacts on request.  Your old mates and colleagues may be closer than you think. 

 Best regards,

 Andrew Byrne .. (year trouble-maker). 

 

Some updates to June 2020

Dear Colleagues,

I hope everyone is coping with the lock-downs around Australia which seem to have been so effective compared with overseas. 

I have had some nice responses from Helen Hopkins, Romany and Russell White, Tim Ingall, Peter Bennett, Katherine Brown, Minas Coroneo and Mark Henschke: see below.  Congrats due to John Vaughan for his OAM Queen's Birthday award for service to Life-saving and General Practice.  

Helen Hopkins wrote:

Thanks as usual for the update, Andrew.

Australia has dealt very well with the threat from nature and we all should be pleased with cleaner skies and lowered emissions, but no one is singing about that very loudly although I wonder if Greta Thunberg and her minders are still on the payroll?

Scepticism aside, we do live in interesting times.

I continue to work two days in general practice enjoying my patients, the intellectual challenge and the opportunity to contribute. Physically and psychically I am well having recovered mostly from surgery chemotherapy and radiation. Ongoing Anastrazole is an oestrogen blocker which I will continue for 5 years with flushes, muscle and joint pains a constant side effect and finger nails and hair soft, short and brittle still from chemo.

I managed to get through it all with no loss of work nor missing daily cycling and swimming. I set myself that challenge and glad I adhered to it. It is surprisingly easy to start to feel sorry for oneself otherwise.

Now we are all old together life has different pleasures. I’m signing up for The Fungi Festival with The National Trust in Bowral next year. I have long had an interest in fungi and love to forage and illustrate their fascinating forms. There is a day of Botanical illustration and a Fungifeast!

I keep in touch with Libby Bassett. 

Kind remembrances to all,

Helen

From Romany and Russell White:

Greetings Andrew,

Thank you for your Autumn message, connecting in these surreal and unprecedented times and the update on our colleagues working in the field and involved in other pursuits. It has certainly been a time to reflect, reassess and appreciate the freedoms we took for granted before,

There seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel here unlike the situation overseas and can only wonder how some countries were so unprepared in the light of your interesting review on Denise Grady's book  'Deadly Invaders' with its ominous predictions written in 2005, even earlier than Michael Osterholm's book 'Deadliest Enemy ' written in 2017 which we have found engrossing to read reiterating that Mother Nature is 'the greatest bioterrorist of them all!'

Good to hear you are well and combining work in Redfern with life in the Southern Highlands, and presume there has been recovery in the region from the ravages of the Fires in Summer. Travel plans this year screeched to a halt for many and one wonders when global travel will safely resume, certainly Cruises will never hold the same appeal again!

Best wishes from us both for good health and better times ahead for us all.

Romany and Russell.

From Tim Ingall in Scottsdale:

Hi Andrew – thanks for sending this Class informational email.  While time is passing us by, there are many of us still active in different ways, not all of them medical.  Living through the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA has been in parts interesting, challenging, and frustrating.  Here are some observations from my home office where I have been working since Mayo Clinic shut down the face-to-face outpatient practice and elective surgery in mid-March. 

•         Telehealth has enabled me to see many new patients from out of state and locally as well as seeing follow up patients.  Our Neurology Department has 12 years of experience in doing Telestroke consults in regional hospitals.  Mayo has a Department of Connected Care and they worked with us to set up encrypted audiovisual consults with patients.  They establish an audiovisual connection with individual patients and then link-in the physician.  The actual consult is straightforward, but the resources needed to set it up and support it are significant.

•         As Chair of Clinical Ethics in Arizona, I was tasked with setting up an Ethics Triage Team which would be activated if there is a patient surge and we have a situation where scarce resources need to be triaged.  Most obviously, this would occur if we didn’t have enough ventilators to support all patients who needed to be intubated.  The ethics team would be responsible for making unilateral decisions to withdraw life sustaining treatment for some patients so that other patients with a better prognosis could be intubated.  Doing this in the US is challenging because every triage protocol that has been created has either been challenged legally by patient advocacy groups, or put on hold because the Office of Civil Rights decides the protocol needs to be reviewed.  All protocols state that triage decisions will be made without consideration of many factors such as race, gender, sexual identity etc.  Many advocacy groups believe that the protocols are biased against people with disabilities – this has been a real challenge because disability definitions during the pandemic have been changed and now any chronic illness (severe heart failure, metastatic cancer, etc.) is defined as a disability.  This makes it very difficult to use all the clinical variables you need to determine the short to medium term prognosis of patients, which is necessary for any fair process to triage scarce resources.  This has been challenging to say the least.

•         The lack of federal and state coordination to address the pandemic has been disappointing and frustrating.  There is plenty of blame to go around, but the White House response has been dismal.  I am not a fan of Trump, and what I view as his erratic and inept leadership has only reinforced my dislike of the way Trump does things. The missteps and missed opportunities federally, and the scattershot approach to implementing stay at home and social distancing guidelines by the states has contributed to a chaotic, ineffective public health approach which has resulted in the US having 1/3 of the world’s total number of positive patients, and ¼ of the world’s deaths attributed to COVID-19.  The only effective, collaborative response happened in New York with their Governor, Andrew Cuomo, coming across as someone who is calm, pragmatic, and willing to work with others.  Unfortunately, given the extreme partisanship that is present over here, I can’t see that the changes needed to have a more functional public health approach will occur.

Best wishes to everyone in our Class – stay safe and healthy!

Tim Ingall

From Peter Bennett:

Dear Andrew

Thanks for keeping in touch and for the pictures which bring back memories.  Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

We have just finished thirteen years on the APY lands in northern South Australia where I worked at the Indulkana and Mimili clinics and my wife Rosie as teacher and then deputy principal at the school.  I have gone fairly deaf which encouraged my decision to finish up when I had the opportunity given by a doctor prepared to take over my clinic work.  It was a very special time in my working life.  The communities were generous in their friendship and the close working relationship with remote area nurses was a great joy.  I had locum shifts planned to help with holidays but biosecurity for service providers is tight and this doesn't look possible at present. I am worried that by the time things improve I will be too rusty to be re-activated but hope I can find something useful to do. Meanwhile we enjoy more time with our lovely daughters and grand-daughter as far as possible under current restrictions.

Best wishes to you for continued good health and happiness, Peter Bennett

From Katherine Brown:

Thanks, Andrew.

Still working and below are my contact details.

Thanks for your dedication to this task. I enjoy keeping in the loop.

Regards

Katherine

Clinical Associate Professor Katherine Brown

University of Sydney & University of Wollongong

Medical Director, Ambulatory and Primary Health Care

Illawarra Sexual Health.

From Minas Coroneo:

Dear Andrew,

I hope all is well in these troubled times.

Thanks for bringing the 78ers up to date, job well done!

We are all well although our New York daughter and her family have been in the middle of it.

The attached paper may be of interest - it turns out the eye has an unexpected and likely critical role to play in Corona virus pandemic.

This raises the possibility of topical, prophylactic treatment – we’re setting up a clinical trial.

Minas Coroneo

LATE FINAL EXTRA!!  Mark Henschke has written too: 

Dear Andrew,

I join the big ‘thank you’ for being the conduit for our 1978 medical graduates.

I remain in the workforce as a P/T Senior Lecturer at the UNSW Rural Clinical School in Coffs Harbour, coordinating the Year 3 program. This is my tenth-year teaching after my many years as a GP Obstetrician in Armidale. Academia does not get you out of bed in the middle of the night – often below zero in winter. 

I read Peter’s [Bennett] missive with great interest. Over the University summer breaks, I have enjoyed locums in Northern Territory at Wadeye, Groote Eylandt and Santa Teresa in Central Australia. The communities are very welcoming, and many remote area nurses are very skilled and are often called upon to make difficult clinical decisions. They are an impressive bunch. But it gets very hot in mid-summer. Most days 42-43 deg C

Congratulations to ‘The Sheriff’ [John Vaughan] on being awarded an OAM in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours List, services to General Practice and Life Saving. I spoke to John at length last week. He remains the same gentle self-effacing bloke we all remember; much loved by the many GP Registrars he has trained over the years. His legacy will live on in their work.

Mark

 Dr Mark Henschke,

Coffs Harbour. NSW

+61 (0)438 722 355

Syd Uni 1978 Med mates update - Covid curfew.

Dear Colleagues,

With so much of gravitas a-happening currently this is small talk indeed - but it is nice to know that our year is still contributing in many ways in the effort against Covid-19.  I trust that year members are coping with the difficulties and will let others know if there are ways others might be able to help … or at least just know what old mates are up to and dealing with, families, health, practice and other issues.  I will post any replies to our blog as desired.  Photos also welcome. 

Peter Collignon is quoted in the New York Times which in late April finally wrote a short piece about Australia’s apparent success in comparison to USA in combating the epidemic.  Peter has also been interviewed locally on numerous other aspects of the lock-down and its gradual lifting depending on outcomes.  Australia has had both good luck and good management.  Many other countries have had neither. 

Annabelle Farnsworth is busy managing DHM pathology in the covid19 era, the largest provider of Corona virus testing in the state.  She is sceptical of much ‘science’ coming out of America and she predicted the fire-storm now unfolding there.  Annabelle and Robert’s two sons are in New York and London, so it cannot be easy.  

Ian Cook has been involved, like many of us, in clinical preparations for the impending Covid crisis. 

Michael Freelander gave a marvellous speech to parliament on 23 March about tolerance in the age of Covid-19.  He pointed out that young people who want to go out and have a good time should be understood and sympathised with (their risk is low).  Likewise people who are hoarding food, etc.  Education and reassurance are crucial.  He also has brief but poignant messages on Facebook about the meaning of May Day and a Ramadan greeting to his Muslim constituents in the Macarthur electorate.  As one of the few doctors in federal parliament he is now advising on the Covid App for contact tracing, a new-age tool against the epidemic. 

Bill Brooks continues his Alzheimer’s research, largely from home.  He is probably also listening to the free opera streaming from MetOpera in New York – a new opera every day during the lock-down!  

Agnes Kainer Geyer tells me that she has re-registered herself after formally retiring.  She may become involved again in Telehealth, something she has enthused me about in dependency medicine.  However, it is not as easy as opening a Skype screen and there are many pitfalls. 

My Potts Point neighbour Mary Dwyer has retired from clinical practice and is concentrating on her duties as board member at St Vincent’s College as they deal with learning in the time of plague. 

John de Launey has written about hospital dermatology services being scaled back and resources moved to acute medicine, giving him a bit more free time.  See photo below on their visit to Bowral last spring. 

Miriam Van Rooijen and Jeff Peretz are still working in paediatric radiology at Prince of Wales Hospital. 

I spoke to Eddie Howe who is still in general practice and coping with the new world order.  He is listening to opera through much better speakers than mine.  

Steve Jurd is coping with a full hand of issues in Sydney, including family matters, teaching, College, etc.  He is also involved with a new residential treatment venture The Sydney Retreat: https://www.thesydneyretreat.org.au/

Clive Lovell’s work in aviation medicine has contracted but he still does some general practice and might be one of the last doctors in Macquarie Street. 

I see Fiona Stewart at opera openings in Sydney including the final outing before the lock down on 12th March.  Fiona is a delight but is just a bit reluctant to socialise. 

I have been in touch with Ian and Judy Stokes who have been dealing with many issues beyond the normal … family, practice, teaching and more.  Jim and Margie Markos came to their rescue when things came a little “unstuck“ during a recent caravanning holiday in Tasmania (see below). 

I understand Bernie Haylen is still in busy practice but that Anne Pike has retired. 

Di Phillpot is still working three days in general practice plus nursing home visits.  She is part of a group of year members which includes Romany and Russell White. 

Even after his major vascular issue Allan Glanville is a member of National Covid19 Clinical evidence taskforce – with weekly updates for clinical purposes. Allan represents the Thoracic Society of A&NZ as their past president.  Ann Glanville has left medical practice and is now busy with the farm at Bathurst amongst other things. 

Andrew Byrne continues Wed-Sat each week at the clinic in Redfern with the rest of the week in Bowral where autumn colours dominate currently.  Non-Hodgkin lymphoma seems a long way in the past (17 years and counting).  As a fellow traveller with the faithful he has heard hundreds of sermons in each of Christian, Muslim and Jewish houses of worship, despite being staunchly secular personally.  The faithful would need to question why the deity has chosen to visit this plague upon the world, just as happened in Biblical times (all three religions revere the Torah or ‘Tawrat’).  Even we secular folk need to carefully reassess the direction the world is going regarding global warming, pollution, poverty and planetary survival.  End of sermon. 

Please take best regards from me and trusting that everyone can garner the strength needed for current contingencies. 

http://1971syduni.blogspot.com/ (see my review of prescient “Deadly Invaders” New York Times book by Denise Grady from 2006 predicting just what has happened with Covid 19). 

Book Review – ‘Deadly Invaders’ by Denise Grady 2006 – a New York Times Book.

Dear Colleagues, 

I was due to have lunch with Denise Grady at the New York Times building in April … she wrote this book in 2006.  A brilliant summary of Marburg, Ebola, Bird flu, SARS, Hanta virus and more.  Below is her introduction – could this really happen?  And it did!  I hope all are coping with the lock-down which has affected everyone, even dependency clinic procedures.  There are many 'naturalistic' experiments going on around us and these need to be documented when the time is right.  AB ..

Introduction page:  

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780753459959 

Book Review – ‘Deadly Invaders’ by Denise Grady 2006 – a New York Times Book. 

Dear Reader,

Why write a review of a book written 14 years ago?  Covid-19 has raised the spectre of a number of other viral outbreaks which are well documented in this concise, punchy and accessible book.  Concerning the numerous outbreaks, the similarities as well as the differences have lessons for us all in today’s locked-down world.  The introductory paragraph is so prescient it is spooky. 

The first epidemic is in the first person as Grady describes a truly harrowing visit to Angola reporting on the emerging Marburg virus for her newspaper.  This paralleled much of what happened with Ebola virus in the same part of the world. 

The author then covers Avian Flu, HIV, Hantavirus, West Nile disease, SARS and Monkeypox.  Each virus has one or more connections with animals, often non-domesticated and some with yet another third party host.  Shades of the rat and flea from the Black Death of 1349 (which was not viral).  These connections are revealed more like a Sherlock Holmes deduction than as straight journalism.  Fruit and horseshoe bats, the giant Gambian rat, prairie dogs, chickens, pigs, chimpanzees, mosquitoes and more.  We learn that fondness for exotic species, especially in America and China, has sparked some of the most damaging examples. 

Each disease is given a report card with dates, origin, geographical spread, mortality, etc. 

Global warming, shrinking forests and industrialisation are also awarded their share of blame for these epidemics.  Older Australians will recall raised eyebrows at planes being sprayed with insecticide on arrival in the country … not so funny now. 

This book is highly recommended.   

Andrew Byrne .. 

Conflict of interest: Denise Grady is a friend of many years who I was due to meet in New York this month. A wonderful journalist with insight and compassion in her writing.  

Christmas fire message from Robert Hall ... very depressing.

From: Robert Hall <roberthall@ozemail.com.au>
Date: Wed, 25 Dec 2019 at 21:47
To: Andrew Byrne <andrewbyrne444@gmail.com>

Andrew

You have the correct details for me.

Something that might be of interest to our colleagues: Since I have pretty much retired, and we now live in the Adelaide Hills, I joined the local bushfire brigade (the SA Country Fire Service) as a volunteer firefighter about 6 years ago. As I am sure you have read, we have had a major fire here over the last week. We were called out last Friday morning, 20 December, and then worked all day to try to prevent the fire spreading (not successful) and to protect houses (successfully with some, not so with others). It was surreal; at one point we were working about 10 metres away from a wall of flame about 15--20 metres high. The CFS brought in resources from other parts of the state, and we rested on Saturday. On Sunday we spent most of the day doing a big backburn to contain the fire in the Cudlee Creek state forest. I gather this was successful, but it was touch and go for a while, and we nearly lost control of it. The fire has covered nearly 25,000 hectares, and travelled 30 km from 9 in the morning to about 8 at night on the first day. We had a wind shift which meant the fire very rapidly grew in size. The bush, paddocks, orchards and vineyards that have been affected are often completely devastated, with perhaps only the odd tree trunk or post left standing. The burnt out houses are just awful to see; there is nothing left, the destruction is pretty much total. Some people round here are having a terrible Christmas. There has been at least one death and quite a few injuries, and many people have lost everything. Our house was a few kilometres from the fire edge, so we have not been affected. I would encourage everyone to think about what they might be able to do to help people affected by the fires, not just here in SA, but also in NSW, Qld and WA.

Cheers.

Robert Hall
roberthall@ozemail.com.au
(08) 8389-8019
(04) 1859-5507
90 Leslie Rd Lenswood SA 5240 Australia

PO box 412 Woodside SA 5244 Australia

Roseville reunion Saturday 12/10/19.

Dear Colleagues,

40 Alumni attended this dinner at Roseville Golf Club … It was great fun and numerous people commented that it was better to have a smaller group in order to connect with almost everyone.  I hope you enjoy the pix below. 

Nick Bennett  Anne Pike  Lisa Cottee  Cathy Dunlop   Libby and Steve Jurd, David Rowed

David Curran  Bill Brooks and Mary Kathryn Dwyer


Howard Roby  Andrew Byrne  Ingrid Rieger

Julie Kibby with Allan Glanville

Judy and Ian Stokes with Denise Haylen

Ian Cook  Fred Schebesta  Kerrie Meades  David Harris

Allan Glanville  Ann Glanville  Bernie Haylen  Jim Markos

Arnold and Miriam van Rooijen

Fred Arndt  Karin Herbstein  Stevern Abadee  Judy Stokes

Eileen and Fred Arndt

Lesley and Kevin Yee  Lyn McKenzie and Bruce Hammond

Ken and Tessa Ho with Helen Clarke

Geoff Peretz and Andrew Byrne

‘Editorial’: Andrew says: ‘Just do it now … even if it outside your comfort zone’. 

I will take a privilege and write what I might have gone on to say on the night but for the promise of no formal speeches. Judy Stokes (Woolley) asked me for more next time around.  My message is about comfort zones which we all enjoy. Yet it is sometimes those fields in which we are less comfortable which may be most rewarding to explore.  Members of our year have visited Antarctica, Northern Scandinavia, Central Africa and remote parts of our own country.  Some have plunged themselves into troubled areas in the third world as missionaries.  Others still have sailed in hair-raising ocean crossings or undertaken new and unusual pursuits. 

I mentioned Maggie Smith’s line in Death On The Nile: “Oh no, not Egypt! The two things I most detest: heat and heathens.”  Yet the tourists had the best of times … at least until the mysterious murders started.  [and I've been to Egypt twice, alhamdulillah!] 

At age 50 I would never have imagined myself enjoying Waikiki Beach.  Nor would I have considered visiting a slaughterhouse, a Japanese Shinto temple, joining a mosque or a synagogue.  Seeing a dozen telescopes atop a 4000m tropical mountain was also a recent experience I could not have imagined until I took the 'plunge' (or the 'ascent' in this case).  Serendipity was involved in all of my ventures, some of which have become repeated and enjoyable pastimes. 

So my advice is to move out of your own comfort zone occasionally … and maybe just DO IT!  Tomorrow may be too late.  Carpe diem!

Fearless psychiatrist … BRAVO!

Steve Jurd agreed to speak at our dinner with only a few minutes’ notice … he addressed the group in his usual cheerful but meaningful manner reminding us of his four ‘G’ words which have come into focus for many of us: Gentleness: caring for loved ones as we used to look after our patients; Grandchildren; Geriatrics and Gratitude.

Libby Jurd has been unwell and Steve spoke about his new vocation as carer, learning to put aside other matters and take up new responsibilities.  Dealing with the medical system from the other side has had its revelations for them, as for some others in the room.  I might say that Libby seemed like her old self and was cheerful, eating and drinking like the rest of us despite her serious illness. 

Many of us have looked after aging parents – some of us are getting to the age-group to qualify ourselves for 'geriatrics'.  

Steve went on to describe the joy of getting to know grandchildren, quoting his younger psychotherapy colleague who said that the grand-parental bond is so much stronger because they each had an ‘enemy in common’! 

Despite a couple of corrections and additions, Steve Jurd asked me to point out that he is not responsible for this account of what he said. “Having been given 5 minutes notice to create a talk, it happened in 5 minutes and it was gone from my memory 5 minutes later.”  “Love your work Andrew!”

SJ

And while talking about colleauges …

John and Shauna de Launey came to Bowral this weekend for Sunday’s bicycle marathon (120km) road race.  They visited us in Burradoo on Saturday afternoon and we spent a couple of hours talking about old times and their new lives after ‘retirement’ of part time work and long-time travelling.  They were sorry to miss the dinner due to elderly parents with medical problems last weekend.  This has also curtailed their travelling of late. 

A message from Gerry Lister: I am still working hard in Newcastle. Max Lenzer and I have been in the same practice for almost 38 years now though we both have our eye on the finish line at some stage. But still having fun and hopefully productive. 

I recently travelled through the Balkans with David Clark for four weeks. He is still Newcastle’s pre-eminent breast surgeon. Firstly Penny and I did a boat and bicycle trip around the Croatian islands first for 9 days, then met up with David and his wife in Venice for a 4 week trip through Slovenia, Croatia. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. Such interesting and beautiful country especially the magnificent mountains and lakes of Slovenia. Such fascinating history... both distant and recent. They were killing each other, including war crimes, only 25 years ago. Things are much better now though still simmering tensions. Was a great trip.    

I was sorry I could not make the dinner, but I loved seeing the photos and the memories they bring back.

Gerry

David Clark  Penny Lister  Paula Clark  Gerry Lister  at city wall of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Medical year news: Ridiculous coincidences; serendipity; aging and grace. 

Dear Syd Uni Colleagues,

We have all reached the age where medical problems are more likely, however none would have been prepared for what happened to Allan Glanville in February when he developed an aortic dissection.  This happened on his first week back at St Vincent’s after a wonderful winter trip to Norway and Sweden with Ann, Ian and Judy Stokes, Lesley Yee and other friends.  Ultra-prompt arrival at ER and early surgery was life saving … Allan reports that he is now getting fitter by the day and aiming to get back to work after his own bespoke cardio-thoracic catastrophe.  As he wrote to me, “truth is always better than fiction!”  Best wishes to Allan and Ann at this difficult time. 

Last month I ran into Eddie and Helen Howe on the red carpet at The Met Opera in New York.  They treated us to an intermission dessert in the elegant Met foyer restaurant.  As students I had taken Eddie to his first opera at the Sydney Opera House where Clive Lovell and Di Phillpot also had part-time jobs.  Eddie also helped us move into my mum’s terrace at 28 Watkin St, Newtown, which also had connections with the Farnsworths, Lynda and Greg Marks, Mike Campbell-Smith, John Grassby and others.  Lynda and Greg are now neighbours again - in their country house here in Bowral! 

I was delighted to find Minas and Helena Coroneo on our return Qantas flight.  Apart from other American business they had visited their first grandchild, now 9 months old, whose parents are in New York. 

Anne Pike was recently looking after two of her grandchildren in Orange where she caught up with Judy and Ian Stokes whose daughter is an RMO at the Base Hospital.

I dined recently with Annabelle Farnsworth and Robert Hansen at Billy Kwong’s in Kings Cross.  Their son Rob Hansen now lives in New York where he has re-introduced me to church vocals - if not to Christianity - after my decade of being a fellow traveller at synagogue and mosque.  The well funded Trinity Church Wall Street has a fine vocal tradition including ‘Bach at One’, Messiah at Xmas as well as a full choral Sabbath Eucharist schedule.  For Easter Sunday they had full trumpet fanfare with 40 choristers (including Rob junior) … and all on live stream HD video.  Even the sermons seem to make sense in our turbulent world. 

 https://www.trinitywallstreet.org/videos/recent?page=1

Jim Markos ran into Helen Zorbas at a function for the Lung Foundation in Canberra recently … she is doing a sterling job and is a great ambassador, clinician and researcher. 

My lymphoma has been at bay for 16 years with only one minor recurrence.  I thank the numerous St Vincent’s doctors involved in my care.  Andy Csillag did my Xrays and ultrasounds while Bill Sewell my pathology typing.  Sam Milliken is my exemplary haematologist/oncologist. 

Wishing all year members good cheer, hoping for some feedback on an informal reunion perhaps in early spring if there is interest out there.  Please send your own news (three lines about family, business, bibs and bobs) and I will add to the blog.   http://1971syduni.blogspot.com/    

Andrew Byrne .. (year trouble-maker). 

PS – does anyone want to join me in shaking up medical accreditation?  Minas Coroneo and I agreed that over-governance is responsible for some of the ills of medical practice and that in its current form it is incapable of addressing the many real issues relating to poor treatment practices which still occur.  Equally it is incapable of recognising and rewarding innovations. 

Eddie Howe, Andrew Byrne, Helen Howe with Cecily Brown Met Opera foyer painting.

Feedback from Mark Henschke: 

There is an open invitation to anyone travelling to beautiful Sawtell-Coffs Harbour. Mobile 0438 722 355.  I'm training the next generation of doctors both undergraduate (Rural Clinical School, UNSW) and in the GP training program to ensure we are all looked after well in 'later life'. There are two Henschke's in rural practice: Luke (Staff specialist Orthopaedics, Lismore Base Hospital) and Alice (VMO Intensive Care, Orange Base Hospital). Say hello if you are in their vicinity. I had a wonderful experience kayaking around South Georgia Island and  Antarctica Peninsula in December. Its something everyone should do before they die!! (see pix below)

Very best wishes

Mark Henschke

Message from Chris Fenton:

Everything is fine with my health and I continue to work as a FIFO GP in a mining town, Middlemount, in Central Queensland. I have done that for 7 years now and really enjoy it. But I will be moving from lifelong residence in Sydney to Adelaide next year where one son, his wife and the only grandchildren are.

I have had a 13 year involvement in an NGO in Timor-Leste which has been very rewarding and very all-consuming.

See www.maluktimor.org if you are interested. 

Best wishes,

Chris Fenton 0421220783 chris.fenton@maluktimor.org  

Tessa Ho writes about her work with Catholic Ministries governing 26 hospitals including St Vincent’s in Sydney.  

Hi Andrew,

What a lovely newsletter!

I was interested to hear of people’s involvement with St Vincent’s as I am Chair of the Trustees of Mary Aikenhead Ministries, one of five Trustees now in charge of St Vincent’s Health Australia when the Sisters of Charity transferred all 26 hospitals, aged care and research institutes to us.

You can read more on our website:

https://maryaikenheadministries.com.au/about-us/trustees/

Keep up the good work!

Greetings from Paris,

Tessa

Jal wrote to say all was well in his corner. 

Jenny Gray wrote from Byron to say that she was keen on a Spring-time reunion. 

Mike Kefaloukos wrote about his hi-tech software enterprises which I confess I do not savvy.  Look up REAPP TECHNOLOGY for those who are interested. 

Lesley Soo (Hort) writes: I am currently working in Brisbane at an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service, still working full time, with lots of challenges in the job, which I still enjoy.

Andrew Cole:

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the follow-on emails – it is always interesting to hear what people outside of my own immediate friendship circle are doing.

We are well-settled in our new home in Oatley (just over 3 years now), with only our youngest son David and Laura, and their littlies (three under 3.5 years!) still living in Sydney. But at least our other three offspring and associated 4 grandchildren are now back in Oz, respectively in Perth (Daniel), Adelaide (Rebecca) & Melbourne (Rachel)! I am still moving ahead with the only cancer-specific rehab service in Aust/NZ at Greenwich, and enjoying 20 (allegedly) h.p.w. practice. Teaching trips to Thailand in February and China in March have kept the horizons broadened..

And I’m glad to hear that you have enjoyed both music and spiritual content at Trinity Wall St ECUSA congregation. – it has a long and proud history. We went to Last Night at the Proms at OH Sydney last Friday night and had an unashamed binge singing along with the usual suspects on the concert program, and finishing up with ‘Waltzing Matilda’.

All the best,

Andrew

A/Professor Andrew M Cole

from Tony Sangster in South Australia: 

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for your kind email and thoughts.  There has been past strife but nothing of late.

In fact my diabetes is about the best it has ever been, due to a combination of insulin pump and a very low carb diet. ( = 30 g carbs per day, and really it is a ketogenic diet but only moderate nutritional ketosis. (I follow a guy called Dr Richard Bernstein, himself a TID aged 85, 72 + years on insulin, reversed pretty much all complications and still practising medicine). Book or e book Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, and websites Type 1 True Grit and Dr Bernstein's Advocates.  The diet is probably the more important factor - allowing me to achieve a drop in 3 monthly HBA1C from 46 mmol/l (6.4%)(October '18) to 39 (5.9%) (February '19) with only 6 weeks on the new diet and with minimal hypos. As of 20th June, HBAIC is 36 (5.6%).

One always worries about improved control leading to exacerbation of old or hidden diabetes complications but that does not seemed to have happened in the past 6 months on the diet now.

This diet and issues surrounding it have led to me advocating as a healthcare consumer (retired, no longer registered as Doc) for change in attitudes re saturated fat, cholesterol, statins, and against very high carb diets for diabetics etc (subscribe to zoeharcombe.com for the science and rebutting a lot of the scientific literature we were fed by drug reps and others). It is a real eye opener from a Welsh nutritionist with PhD, not allied to Big Food, Big Pharma or Government. Her articles reveal the dodgy stats, flawed science, plus also Google Jennifer Elliott vs DAA (DAA have since removed information from the web regarding their sponsorship by the food industry), plus look up BMJ article 2013 about the Massachusetts study and BMJ article 2016 about the Sydney Heart Health study. Lead author for both is Rumsden. And read up about Dr Gary Fettke, Launceston orthopod, his battles with APHRA and he and his wife's take on Big Food and other influences on nutrition. You may be surprised about who owns the Medical Director program. 

So I am on committees to do with healthcare consumer engagement for SAMHRI (SA Medical and Health Research Institute) plus similar for a Health Area Network in Central Adelaide.

But still trying to make and design non-political kites to fly as well.

I hope you remain well after your brush with illness. And it may be that stubbornness, determination, humour, trouble-making are just the ticket for defending against illness and overcoming it. 

Best Wishes, Tony

 

Dear Andrew

I hope this finds you well. I am. And I have retired as of 1/1/19!!

Since retiring I have taken a position on the St Vincent’s College Board (Potts Point), so will not have the chance to get bored. Six grandchildren also help the time to disappear. And I will be sourcing more law conferences for Dennis’ CLE as we had an excellent time in Berlin in May. We even missed being here for the federal election.

Best wishes always Mary (Dwyer)

Steve Jurd has been a constant support, urging me to reach out to colleagues and find missing folk.  As in his address at our last reunion, he reminds me of the good fortune we have had to work in a period of prosperity and peace.  And the privilege and thus responsibility to give back where we can.  Thanks Steve!  And more strength to you and Libby.  

Along with Steve I have had a regular dialogue with Judy Stokes (Gosford) and Jim Markos (Launceston) about many issues relating to our work, retirement and possibly future gatherings.  Thanks to you two too!  From Andrew Byrne .. 

From David Baines:

Dear Andrew

Thank you for the email and its included information of some of our colleagues. I have been catching up with Chris Needs and Mike Freelander (when available!) or three times a year. Mike kindly invited Chris and myself (and our wives) to Canberra last year where we lunched with him in the Members' restaurant and observed Question time – which is to my mind is an embarrassment to our parliament – if school children behaved like that that would/should be severely reprimanded! Mike clearly enjoys his position and I am sure is contributing to his electorate with the same passion he demonstrated throughout his paediatric career – he still works in an honorary capacity at the local hospital.

I am all but retired – I still do an eye list one afternoon a week but intend to retire fully at the end of the year (the surgeon I work with keeps twisting my arm – I intended to drop this list 2 or 3 years ago!).  I spend quite a bit of time looking after some of our 9 grandchildren and also meeting regularly with old school friends and others. I miss the overseas heart trips of which I did many – but I don’t miss the politics of the hospital scene and the attitude of the younger anaesthetists coming through. I think in many ways I saw and worked in the best times and I am happy to let it go.

I wish you well and look forward to catching up at a future reunion.

Kind regards
David
Dr David Baines AM FANZCA

Jeremy Coleman has had what can only be described as a nightmare from accusations of the most serious kind but after a huge court hearing, none were proven yet his professional and personal lives have been dealt tremendous blows.  Despite this, Jeremy appears to have held his head high and has been in touch with me and one or two other year members about his many stories of incredibly stressful details, strong family supports, legal counsel of the highest order and ways of coping using the great Australian outdoors.  Jeremy has said that he is happy to share his story with anyone from the year who is interested but as there are legal loose ends to sort he is not yet ready to write the book of his experience.  I have wished him well on behalf of the year and expressed profound sympathy for the painful and difficult situation he found himself in.  

  

Hi Andrew,

Simon and I currently hiking in regions near Tromsø which are stunning. This photo is Segla, the sail, on Senja Island. Simon climbed up the far side of it, but not liking heights, I stayed on the saddle!  We are wearing eye masks at night due to the midnight sun: see photo below from our hotel room taken at 12.07am!!  

Mariese Grant (Hely) 








[the following is from Russell and Romany White in Russia ...]

Dear Andrew,

Good to be in touch and hope this finds you well.

Still recovering from jet lag after returning from a tour seeking the 'romantic soul' of Russia which exceeded all expectations, including two Verdi Operas and the ballet Spartacus in the Bolshoi and Marinsky theatres and wandering through the corridors of the spectacular Hermitage, enjoying its wonderful art treasures, amongst other highlights.

Such a rich cultural and historic heritage, a turbulent past and a resilient people, even had the opportunity to visit the amazing Yusupov Palace with its highly adorned rooms and even  the chamber in its deep recesses, where Rasputin refused to die initially after an assassination attempt with a cyanide laced dinner. It was interesting too to learn that our Russian guide related that she first learnt that history is fluid and determined by the recording scribe after she read two totally differing accounts of Rasputin, one by his daughter Maria and one by Felix Yusupov .... Intriguing for those of us with an interest in History!!

Thanks for the suggestion and invitation to participate in the dinner in October but will be away and returning from New York over that weekend. Hope it does eventuate and is enjoyed by all who attend.

Best wishes, Romany and Russell

Tim Ingall writes from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona:

Hi Andrew.

I would love to have the opportunity to attend a reunion dinner sometime, and would jump at the opportunity to attend a dinner during one of my trips back to Australia.

I still enjoy working, and, fortunately,  my practice is now limited to working 8:00-5:00 on weekdays – I was fortunate that there are enough young neurologists in our Stroke Division who like taking call and they agreed to absorb my weeks of call so I could stop having to take call on the hospital stroke service.  After 40 years of working overtime and taking call, it was time to stop!  I reached a point where I resented coming in on weekends because as I drove to work I would see the rest of the world out walking, riding bikes, and sitting in coffee shops reading the paper and I started to think, what was wrong with that picture.  My wife and I are just finishing building a new house which we anticipate will see us out through our retirement – it is bigger than the house we had been living in, but not as big as some of the mega-houses that are being built in Scottsdale.  As a friend put it, we are ‘right sizing’ our house.

Regarding dental work, I had a root canal a few years ago, and would be quite happy if I didn’t have to do it again.  I have just finished six months of work with a periodontist who did a tissue graft to fix a spot of severe gum recession – the work was necessary, but it has been a bit of a pain in the butt eating soft foods and avoiding biting into hard food for the last six months.  Having said that, I am in good health otherwise, still breathing, upright, vertical, and on the right side of the grass, so I shouldn’t complain too much!

Tim Ingall