ANNUAL
DINNER 1994
This was held at Spring Grove
House on Friday 13tt May 1994. Approximately 130 members and their guests
attended. The guest speaker was Mr. Henry Sandon of Worcester, a well known
expert on porcelain and best known for his appearances on the television,
especially the
Antiques Road
show. After an initial highly amusing summary of his career, he made comments
and valuations on antiques produced by members of the audience. His presentation
lasted almost 2 hours.
A vote of thanks was proposed by
Dr. David Malcomson, social secretary on behalf of the society.
JOHN
RUSSELL
John loved cricket. Hen enjoyed
the game ever since he started playing at school (Shaftesbury) at which time he
discovered his abilities as a wicket keeper and batsman. There was a temporary
lull in his cricketing activities whilst at
Charring
Cross
Hospital
, but he resumed his wicket keeping in earnest when he came to
Kidderminster
to join the practice of Beatty & Wadsworth in
Church Street
.
While here he played for
Kidderminster Cricket Club at the
Chester Road
ground, then later Bewdley Cricket Club. He also became involved with a team
called the 'Worcester Gents' who used to visit many of the local public schools
such as Malvern Rugby, Shrewsbury etc.
John started a series of
contests between the doctors and the police and also for many years played in
the
Birmingham
doctors Vs the Clergy matches. It is indeed fitting that our present cricket
cup should have been presented by Maudie, his widow.
JOHN RUSSELL CRICKET CUP
17th July 1994
On a hot, sultry Summer's day
this year's cricket match was held once again at Winterfold School. For the
spectators with picnics and wine the conditions were ideal. For the players it
was decidedly overpowering weather. The rules this year were so organised that
all players had two overs bowling and four overs batting. If a batsman was out,
he stayed in (!!!!!) but lost 5 runs. The consultants, batting first, scored 109
with 9 wickets lost. After tea, the GPs scored 106 with eight wickets lost. The
GPs therefore won by 2 runs (!!??!!). The teams were;
CONSULTANTS
GPs
P. Thorpe (capt)
D. Starkie
U. Udeshi
R. Summers
C. Gait
R. Herbert
M. Lewis
R. Horton
D. Cleak
O. Horton
J. Cleak
J. Jarvie
A Thorpe
T. Jarvie I
S. Cox
N. Jarvie
G. Cox
D. Malcomson
P. Brakewood
M. Thorpe
S. Bhudani
F. Morgan(captain)
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NEW
MEMBERS
Mike Davies
I qualified from
Cambridge
University
(
Gonville & Caius
College
) in 1975 and undertook my house jobs at
Luton & Dunstable
Hospital
(surgery) and New Addenbrooks,
Cambridge
(medicine). I was then appointed to an SHO rotation scheme in Leicester, and
came to Birmingham in 1978, first as an SHO in cardiology and then as a Sheldon
Research fellow and honorary registrar in I cardiology at East Birmingham
Hospital. In 1981 I was appointed as lecturer and honorary senior registrar in
cardiology at the
University
of
Birmingham
and West Midlands Regional Health Authority. In 1984 I was appointed as senior
lecturer in cardiology at the
University
of
Birmingham
and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at
East
Birmingham
Hospital
. I moved to the
Queen
Elizabeth
Hospital
following the transfer of the academic department of cardiology in 1990.
Subsequently in 1993 I was appointed as Consultant Cardiologist and Honorary
Senior lecturer in Cardiology at
Selly
Oak
Hospital
For many years I have provided
cardiac services to the Kidderminster District and hold monthly
electrocardiography and twice monthly out patient clinics at
Kidderminster
Hospital
. I was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1992. I was
appointed by the
University
of
Birmingham
as senior tutor to the medical students in 1990 and together with the year
tutors I am responsible for their academic and pastoral welfare during their
time at the University. I have a considerable interest in medical education and
am a member of the Curriculum Development Committee and chairman of the
Pre-Clinical Board of Examiners. I am the cardiology member on the steering
committee of the West Midlands Ambulance Service Paramedic Training Scheme
responsible for providing resuscitation and advanced life support within the
community of the West midlands. My research interests are concerned with
pathophysiology and treatment of heart failure, particularly the role of the
sympathetic nervous system and mechanism of action of ACE inhibitors. I also
have a major interest in the provision of open access cardiac investigation
facilities. My hobby is medical philately and I have produced a number of
articles on this subject. Part of my collection formed the annual exhibition at
the Royal College of Physicians in
London
in 1987 and was invited as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the
World Health Organisation in
Geneva
in 1988.
Alan Bennett
My career in anaesthetics has
taken me to a number of different hospitals, small and large, general and
specialist, quiet and busy, but not quite as friendly and efficient as
Kidderminster
General
Hospital
. Since my medical student days in Dundee, I have always wanted to work in small
hospitals and hence
Warwick
, which I had visited as a student, was an ideal place to start. My ambition was
to be a G.P. in the Scottish Highlands, but
Warwick
taught me two lessons; that anaesthetics as a career can be great fun, and
secondly, that English beer is not so bad after all! , Further basic training in
my beloved home town of
Glasgow
was followed by 2 fascinating Winters and a delightful Summer at
Uppsala
University
Hospital
in
Sweden
. Luckily, most people there speak very good English, except when they are
anaesthetised, I hasten to add. For all trainees, I can but recommend a period
of travelling abroad as it provides a yard stick against which to measure life,
and the health services in this country. My interest in regional anaesthesia and
in the treatment of chronic pain was stimulated when there, and developed more
as a senior registrar an rotation around
Birmingham
. I am very pleased to have joined the department here and I am looking forward
to getting to know all of my colleagues in the
area.
Dr Saverrymuttu
Graeme Wilcox asked me to write
a small piece about myself and I confess to being a little unsure as to what is
required, so, here goes. Neville Chamberlain was indirectly responsible for my
being here. On 3rd September 1939 when he declared war on
Germany
, my parents were on board a ship moored by the Suez Canal en route from Columbo
to
England
. Uncertainties prevailed, and five Ceylonese couples transferred to a return
ship but the sixth continued on to
London
where my father started a course at Imperial College London and decided to
stay. They settled in Hampshire where my sister, brother and I were educated,
each wanting to become a doctor. Prior to going to university I took a year off
travelling as a volunteer with VSO to
Jamaica
where I taught music and science in a junior secondary school (equivalent to a
middle school). A wonderful experience and hopefully enabling me to empathise
more sympathetically with teachers! I enjoy classical music, playing the piano
and more recently the classical guitar.
Medical studies were completed
in
London
where I joined my brother (he is now a gastroenterologist in
Chelmsford
) firstly at UCL and then UCH. It was in
London
that I and we moved to Stourbridge
to be closer to his parents in
Leominster
. I completed the training scheme, joined my training practice and spent 10
years learning to unravel the mysteries of the
Black Country
dialect whilst respecting their stoicism as patients. The advent of the new
contract brought change and it was time to move on. I moved to the
Wyre
Forest
2 years ago, joining Philip Hughes at Cookley. It is a delightful village and
practice. We hope to see the changes taking place in General Practice and I look
forward to the future.
Terrence James Priestman
I graduated from the
Westminster
Medical
School
in 1968 and went on to do a number of general medical jobs in
London
before specialising in radiotherapy and oncology. My registrar post was at the
Westminster
Hospital
and I completed my training as senior registrar at the Christie Hospital
Manchester.
In 1974 I was appointed to a
consultant post in Radiotherapy and Oncology in
Cardiff
but after 3 years I left the NHS to concentrate on research, working with the
Wellcome Research Laboratories on the development of Interferons. I returned to
clinical work in 1981 as a consultant at the
Queen
Elizabeth
Hospital
,
Birmingham
and initiated a clinic in
Kidderminster
the following year. As part of a regional reorganization of radiotherapy
services, designed to reduce waiting times for treatment, I moved my base from
Birmingham
to Wolverhampton at the beginning of 1990, retaining my
Kidderminster
commitment. I still have an active research interest, am an examiner for the
Royal College of Radiologists and have served as a member of that college's
council. For the past 4 years I have edited the journal 'Clinical Oncology'. I
am married with 3 children. My principal relaxation is water colour painting.
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NOTED
BY AN ASTUTE MEMBER
WHILST PERUSING THE PAGES
OF PRIVATE EYE
LUNACY
Sir,
Following 'Doing the Rounds'
last week, pointing out the dismay of the staff in the Kidderminster Health
:care NHS Trust at their being bottom of Mrs. Bottomley's statistics, I am happy
to tell you that we have now solved the problem. This involves adopting a new
definition of the word 'month'. In future, we shall be using not the calendar or
lunar month but the NHS month, in which there are an infinitely variable number
of days calculated by dividing the out-patient waiting time by a number less
than three. We believe this formula to be in general use within the National
Health service already.
Yours faithfully,
Mr. L.P. Glossop FRCS
WELL DONE
Society members will be
interested to know that 2 members - Walford Gillison and Chris Gait - cycled on
a tandem from lands End to John Q'Groats to raise funds for the league of
Friends. The journey was successfully completed in seven days and the League of
Friends have benefitted to the tune of over £5000 with still more coming in.
Well done gentlemen!!
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WHERE
ARE THEY NOW?
STOURPORT TO VANCOUVER
Some of your (older) readers may
remember me as Donald Black's partner prior to my emigration. I had qualified in
1954 and after 4 house jobs at
Dudley
Road
Hospital
and 2 years in the army had settled in Stourport. Actually, I was reasonably
content with my lot, enjoying General Practice and my position as clinical
assistant in anaesthesia at the old
Kidderminster
General
Hospital
. However, elements of discontent were present, including £4-14-6d for my
weekly six hour anaesthetic session; and where, after 8 years, was the
anaesthetic 'specialist' I was supposed to assist?
So, in January 1966, off to
Edmonton
,
Alberta
with wife and 2 babies. I was 36. Leaving behind
England
and family. A time of excitement, energy and romance. The temperature when we
landed in
Canada
was 35 below freezing. We had snow for 5 months of the year and temperatures
were frequently 20 to 30 below freezing. There followed 6 months residency in
anaesthesiology and then to Leduc, a small prairie town for 8 wonderful years.
Small brand new hospital, general practice where you have to do all sorts of
things, lots of anaesthesia and babies, and I was the airport doctor at the new
and large
Edmonton
International
Airport
. As far removed from Worcestershire as you can possibly imagine.
The work was very hard and
extraordinarily satisfying. The life in a small prairie town intimate and
satisfying. Although we experienced this wonderful small town existence, we did
have
Edmonton
, the capital city of
Alberta
, half an hour away. There, we had the university hospital for sophisticated
medicine and all the facilities of a modern city for our excitement and
entertainment, Indeed, we had the best of both worlds.
In 1974 we decided on a second
'emigration' and came to
Victoria
,
British Columbia
. The retirement centre of Canada, Victoria is the capital city with a moderate
climate and a large English population, This is quite an attractive part of the
world we are in fact hosting the commonwealth games in August 1994, Since we
arrived, I have again combined general practice with anaesthesia. Now 63, I plan
soon to quit my general practice and do part time IV sedation in Dental Offices.
Would I do it allover again ?
You better believe it. And what qualities must you possess to be a successful
immigrant? You must be a bit mad, have the ability to work very hard, but most
important you must have an incredible wife!
Mike Tibbetts
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