Vale 2022/2023

Dr Jack Hodge died peacefully at the age of 85 in the final week of March. Having retired more than a decade ago, he is not well-known to many of the present emergency medicine community, but those who knew him appreciate that his passing marks the end of an era in Perth.

Together with the other two "H"s (Tom Hamilton of SCGH and Ron Hirsch of RPH) who predeceased him, Jack was of significant importance in establishing the emergency medicine specialty as we know it today. As Director of Emergency Medicine at Fremantle Hospital for 25 years (1986–2010), he was the right person in the right place at the right time to nurture a nascent specialty, now fully developed and an indispensable component of healthcare.

Jack's achievements included establishing what is now the journal Emergency Medicine Australasia, the beginnings of research and academia that led to two of the first doctorates in emergency medicine, and a high examination success rate that attracted many trainees from all over to come out west, including two who were subsequently appointed ACEM Censor-in-Chief. The strong support of his department was essential to the opening of the State Hyperbaric Medicine Unit at Fremantle Hospital.

Because of his kindness, his interest in teaching, and his generosity in giving time and energy to help progress the careers of those he led, Jack had a personal footprint across Australia and New Zealand amongst many present-day emergency physicians. He was a modest man; we nonetheless acknowledge and celebrate Dr Jack Hodge for playing a large part in setting the scene for emergency medicine in Australasia, now and into the future.

—Dr Ashok Arasu

The family of emergency medicine lost one of their best. Ben Carruthers – loved by so many – succumbed to cancer in the cold hours of Thursday, 25 August 2022. Ben may have only been a newly minted FACEM, but he was a rare element, one of the brightest stars in our firmament. Few have been so relentlessly joyful, so excited by the wonders of emergency medicine, so keen to teach and inspire and infuse those around him with the ecstasy of the wild knowledge that is our specialty.

We called him B1, the first of the Bens who make up our colony, and B1 he will remain. Anyone who came into Ben’s orbit will nod knowingly – he embodied the wonder of what we do and he made us all the better for it. He will be missed until the stars drop from the sky and the sun burns out. He leaves behind a courageous and beautiful family – his wife, Leonie, and his three magnificent children, those hopes for the future: Beth, Josh and Harriet. May the cosmos smile to welcome him back.

Author: Dr Michelle Johnston

Dr Chris Dyer will always be an irreplaceable part of the Mater Hospital Brisbane and the local emergency medicine community, as well as innumerable sporting and social clubs across town. After arriving on our shores from the UK over 20 years ago, she quickly made her mark. She balanced kindness and compassion with a dark and quick wit. Her intelligence was matched only by her loyalty to her family, friends and her tribe in the ED. Her path to ACEM Fellowship was winding at times, but only exemplified her resilience and inner strength. Her insight into her own challenges proved invaluable in her role as DEMT, and her humility will forever be remembered by all those who knew her.

Chris leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Our department has seen tremendous change since her return as a Staff Specialist, through both her dedication to clinician wellbeing and the sense of community she fostered. Our department is undoubtedly poorer with her loss, and there are no words to truly explain our heartbreak. She is dearly missed by her loving husband Pete, their children and her extended family and friends across the world. It is hard to look past the injustice we feel in losing one of our favourite people far too soon, but we are also grateful to have known someone so exceptional.

Vale Chris Dyer.

With great sadness we announce the passing of Dr Cameron Knock. Cameron has been part of the Ipswich Hospital Family since commencing his Intern year in 2017. Cameron had commenced advanced training in emergency medicine and we were looking forward to welcoming Cameron back to the ED following his ICU term and to continue to be successful as an advanced trainee and emergency physician. Unfortunately, Cameron has left us too soon.

Cameron had found a home in Ipswich ED and thoroughly enjoyed his work. He faced every challenge with a positive attitude and would never complain. He found pride in his work and doing everything to the best of his ability, even the little things. He was well respected by his colleagues and always willing to help. Cameron had a great sense of humour and he always had time for a chat. Cameron was loved and respected by all who worked with him. He treated everyone the same – with kindness, compassion, and respect. Cameron will be greatly missed by his family, friends and his Ipswich Hospital family. He will be remembered for being an aspiring emergency physician seeking out a career helping others, and his kindness, compassion and sense of humour.

Author: Dr Shane Martin (DEMT)

Candice had many passions. Her Christian faith, family, and love for baking and the outdoors were some of them. But it was her passion for people that drove her to pursue emergency medicine. She viewed it as a gift – this opportunity to make a lasting impact on the individuals she saw, however brief that encounter may be, and believed strongly in advocating for the disadvantaged. Candice spent the majority of her training at Frankston Hospital and Rosebud Hospital in Victoria, before moving to the Austin Hospital in 2021.

She enjoyed the workplace camaraderie that came with working in a chaotic emergency department and loved the unpredictable nature of her work. She saw the power of words and never shied away from encouraging others, whether a patient or colleague, regardless of how busy or stressful the work environment may be. She had a passion for medical missions and served in Papua New Guinea on several occasions, the last in 2019 at the Nazarene Hospital in Kudjip. These trips supercharged her life-long ambitions of wanting to live out her faith through her work.

Candice never allowed her long-standing health condition to hinder her zeal for life, and continued working despite becoming progressively symptomatic from what was later diagnosed as acute myeloid leukaemia. Despite being in the depths of her illness, she continued to exhibit humility, love and care for those around her, be it to fellow patients or to the doctors and nurses who cared for her until her final days. She is survived by her husband (Ray), sisters (Grace and Beatrice) and parents (Susan and Toh) – all who miss her dearly and are yearning to see her once again on the other side of eternity.

Author: Dr Ray Mun Koo (husband)

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Dr John Richards on 28 January 2023. John, known as JR to many, showed immense courage and maintained a profound sense of hope and dignity until the very end of his battle with metastatic tongue SCC. He died at home on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, with his partner Janelle by his side. Janelle, herself an emergency nurse, advocated and cared for JR throughout his illness. JR was an aeronautical engineer, emergency physician, traumatologist, and dedicated educationalist who worked not only in the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service District but also at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and in London, including with the London Helicopter Emergency Medical Service.

He also provided education and peer support to colleagues in Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Professionally, JR was known for his passion, intelligence, breadth of knowledge, attention to detail, work ethic and sense of duty. He would stay late at work to help colleagues struggling with a difficult case and give up his own time to mentor junior doctors.

During his life, JR had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and curiosity in the world. He had a passion for experiencing new things and travelled extensively. He cycled solo through Nepal, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, in a time when there was no internet or smart navigational devices. He also made multiple trips to Pacific Island nations, one of which was for a medical elective in Papua New Guinea. JR’s encyclopaedic knowledge and gift of the gab combined to make him an incredible storyteller.

He could have you in stitches recalling the time he fell into a drop toilet in India, and leave you bewildered with how he could segue between how dolphins use echolocation and the subject of renaissance art. However, underneath this exuberant exterior, was a true gentleman who had an enormous heart and who will be sorely missed by his family, friends and colleagues. Thank you, JR, for inspiring us to have passion in what we do. We are so grateful for the time we got to share with you and hope that we can channel some of your energy into our everyday life and medical practice. Rest easy JR.

Author: Dr Donna Mills