I graduated MBBS, Queensland 1965, and interned at Royal Brisbane Hospital (RBH) and Royal Children's Hospital (RCH). After training in the hospital program for General Practitioners at registrar level, I spent a short time in general practice, sitting for and passing the Diploma of Obstetrics of the RCOG (the RACOG was formed later), and gaining Fellowship of the RACGP by examination.

I returned to the RBH as inaugural Director of Occupational Health and Safety, at a time when nurses had to 'live in', and their medical care was fragmented. From caring for nurse's medical needs, the duties extended to all staff at the 3 hospitals on campus (RBH, RWH and RCH). A dedicated Nurses Ward was established, initially with 11 beds, later as Block 7 was built, it expanded to 20 beds for the care of nurses who needed hospitalisation. Rapid access to specialist help, and being able to refer and get quick consultations was a great bonus. In the early days a chest x-ray was mandatory for all staff and this became one of the duties of the department, as did Mantoux testing of new employees. My other duties included all pre-employment and superannuation medical examinations, travel medicine and vaccinations (including smallpox and tuberculosis), and when hepatitis B vaccine became available, vaccinating, initially staff at risk, and later all staff, retesting to ensure efficacy, and appropriate record keeping and recall systems.

An annual Influenza vaccination program was established and pursued with great vigour. Monitoring of sound levels in areas of the hospital such as the carpenter's shop and the plumber's shop, as well as dust monitoring and lead exposure were carried out. I was involved in the Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine, prior to Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine days and later in the Australian Faculty of Occupational Medicine (later to become a Faculty of the RACP), followed at mainly state level. As an advocate for General Practice I was involved in the Queensland Faculty of the RACGP, serving all positions on Faculty Board except Treasurer. I served on the National Council for 4 years in the 1980s, 3 of these as Chair of Council, and later in the 1990s as Honorary Secretary for 4 years.

As part of a collaborative effort on awareness of AIDS and hepatitis B, I represented the RACGP on an Australia-wide tour visiting all capital cities and other selected centres, with Professor John Dwyer AO. While at RBH, I became an inaugural member of the Arts Venture 2000 Committee. The Committee was charged with archiving the hospital's art works and historical objects and finding ways of acquiring art works for the hospital without resorting to using State or Federal funding. Later I became Chair of this Committee. The Occupational Health Department ceded some of the duties to other departments as the hospital grew, notably to the Infectious Diseases Department with hepatitis B and HIV. Medical examinations for superannuation purposes were supplanted by a statuary declaration, nurses were no longer required to be residents in the hospital. Some aspects of the service continued, for example; hepatitis B vaccinations, influenza vaccinations and the general practice aspect for all staff. Sadly, in December 2012, the Occupational Health Department closed after being a pioneering (and only) such unit in Queensland and under the one director for 40 years.

Many years after a patient left the hospital, his daughter, a doctor, thanked me for causing her father to give up smoking. I asked 'How?' and she replied that I had perused his X-ray and said, 'Not bad..........for a smoker'. He, unbeknown to me, gave up the next day.

Dr Emmanuel Rathus was a mentor and great sounding board. I would occasionally ring him after I had been presented with a list by the Union Representative of suspicious substances, or working conditions and he could ease my mind on my decisions in a few minutes.

I married Emeritus Professor Dr Mary Deirdre Mahoney (nee Hirschfeld), and have 3 daughters and 1 son.