Ballina

Ballina was settled in 1842. The first public hospital, Ballina Cottage Hospital, was established in February 1895. Oddly, enough money was not available to install the first bathtub until 1900—suggesting it was a short-stay hospital. The new Ballina District Hospital was built in 1938.

W Walsh

When Dr W Walsh arrived in Ballina is not known, however, his name and signature were recorded on a medical certificate for a patient in 1867, and a year later he was reported treating a snake-bite patient. He left the area in about 1871 when it seems he went to the Hunter area.

Henry M Croft

At the same time, Henry Marshall Croft, MRCS (UK), was practising as a physician and surgeon in the ‘Richmond River area’, living in Ballina. He had been previously in Sydney and appears to have stayed a relatively short time, causing some bitterness and being accused of not being happy with a large and lucrative practice, in which he claimed to have an unusually large experience in dental surgery.

Dr Croft was renowned for being away from Ballina for two to three days at a time, treating emergency patients in smaller places like Lismore and Gundurimba, so it is unlikely that the accusations of his financial state were true. He went to Grafton in 1867, opening a chemist shop, which sold human and veterinary products, as well as running his medical practice, and went to Tenterfield in March 1869.

James Markey

In February 1866, a young Irish doctor, James Markey, LRCS (Edin. 1864), LRCP (Edin. 1865), came from Maitland on the steamer, SS Ballina, at the invitation of some locals to Ballina because of his good reputation, but when he arrived he was advised that the area had already in the meantime attracted a good doctor, Dr Croft, so Dr Markey went upriver to Casino.

Daniel G Rowlands

Daniel George Rowlands, MRCS (Eng.), LMSA, born in Camarthen, South Wales, turned up in Ballina in 1876, aged about twenty-nine. He had landed in Brisbane as a ship’s surgeon and was reported to have made his way to Tweed Heads by 1872, on foot along the headlands, stopping on the way to treat sick people. Apart from showing great physical endurance, he proved to be an astute doctor because, in August 1886, the local paper reported a lady, who had been warned by Dr Rowlands about ten years before that she would not survive another large baby, had a desperate Caesarean section for a huge baby, performed by Dr RN Gaggin, from Lismore, with a careful anaesthetic given by the town pharmacist, but sadly, with the predicted result.

He was regarded as a clever surgeon, travelling on the rough tracks in his light dray, which revealed his impecunious state. His stay in Ballina itself was probably short but he was said to have been ‘all over the rivers’. Sadly, in 1879, Dr Rowlands died in Lismore at the age of thirty-four, from the effects of alcohol, having practised as a surgeon in Casino and Lismore.

Joseph Foreman

In October 1876, Joseph Foreman, MRCS (Eng. 1873), LRCP (Edin. 1874), LSA (Eng.), came by sea to Ballina. He was an esteemed doctor who was a medical referee for the AMP Society in Sydney and his job had brought him regularly to visit the area on previous occasions. He passed through Ballina on his way to set up practice in Lismore in 1876 and became the Government Medical Officer for the region. His duties required visits to Ballina for a couple of years to carry out vaccinations and inquests, but he was not a resident doctor in the town.

He did start growing tobacco on a cane farm in Woodburn, but lived in Casino. He returned to Sydney in December 1878 and later practised in gynaecology at RPAH, Camperdown, surviving until the age of ninety-seven.

Thomas H Tennant

Thomas Hately Tennant, L&L.Mid FPS (Glasgow 1877), was in Ballina in October 1883, practising from rooms in the new Masonic Hall building, underneath the council chambers in River Street. Previously, he was on the directory list as ‘roving in NSW’. He was the Government Medical Officer and Public Vaccinator, ‘with pure varicella lymph always at hand’ in his rooms where he could be consulted daily. He was a member of the Sugar Growers’ Association and, in February 1887, he sold up his urban and rural holdings and appears to have gone to Tenterfield.

Carrington B Street

In 1884, ‘Dr’ Carrington Baker Street, a documented unregistered medical practitioner at the time, was attending patients in Ballina in Norton Street. He had started in Woodburn in 1881. The local news in 1884 reported him attending a snakebite victim (who died) because Dr Tennant was out of town. Apparently, this man’s father was a doctor in the UK and Mr Street and a member of the Hospital Committee used to visit the hospital and offer treatment to the patients. If problems arose they got in contact by a cable with a doctor to come from Lismore. Mr Street was involved in civic affairs once he stopped dabbling in medicine and remained in the area.

Herbert W Swayne

Herbert Wigan Swayne, MRCS (Eng. 1840), LSA (Eng. 1841) called into Lismore on a ship in June 1884, but continued south to Sydney where he practised in Penrith. In December 1886, he returned and advertised his intention to practise his profession in Ballina, visiting ‘the river townships’ weekly. He was listed as an unregistered doctor. His commencement of practice was publicised and he was still in Ballina in 1887, but it appears that soon after he went to Tenterfield.

Eustace HL Pratt

In 1888, Eustace Henry Lever Pratt, MRCS (Eng.), former surgeon to the army, based in Lismore since 1887, advertised his availability for consultation in Ballina on a fortnightly basis. There is no later evidence that this visiting arrangement was of benefit to Ballina or long-lasting.

Phillip E Corlis

Phillip Edwy Corlis, MD (Uni. Wooster, USA 1892), was in Ballina in February 1896, practising from his house in 73 Crane Street. One of his earliest duties was carrying out an inquest on the only wardsman at the hospital. Dr Corlis was born in Ontario, Canada in 1869 and over the years, practised in Maclean, Ballina, Bangalow, Casino and Grafton. The history of his family is recorded in the Bangalow section. He was accredited with being the first doctor to put up a brass plate in Ballina and ‘christened’ the hospital operating theatre in May 1896, by assisting the eminent Dr AJ Macqueen, who had been called from Lismore, in treating a lower limb fracture of Mr Charlie Smith of Broadwater. Dr Corlis was responsible for diagnosing bubonic plague, which started to appear due to Ballina being a seaport. He was prominent in civic affairs and a very keen representative bowler. He was given a farewell from the hospital in 1899, but was still involved in patient care in the town from time to time, e.g. in 1903.

He went to practise in Casino from 1907–14 and from 1914–1916 was back in Ballina, serving a spell on the shire council. After that, he covered for his brother, Charles, in the Bangalow practice until his return from his heroic service in France in WWII. Then Dr Phillip went progressively south to Maclean and Grafton. He retired to Queensland and died in Sandgate, Brisbane in 1949.

Charles C Corlis

In 1899, Charles Christopher Corlis, MD (Ohio Wesleyan University 1898), took over the practice of his brother, Phillip, who returned to do locums for Charles from time to time later on. In 1904, Dr Charles carried out an innovative operation, with Dr JM Sanderson’s help, to remove a bullet in a patient’s back with X-ray control.

He was still Government Medical Officer in Ballina in 1906. He recognised the problem with bubonic plague, which continued to occur in the seaport town. He was an exceptionally good bowler, true to the family tradition, an accomplished tennis player and member of the gun club. He went to practise in Bangalow in July 1907, served in France in WWI with the RAAMC and came back as a lieut-colonel with the Military Cross.

William H Tomlins

In June 1899, William Henry Tomlins, MRCS (Eng.), LRCP (Eng. 1884), set up his rooms in Ballina in June 1899, reportedly by popular demand, after practising from 1886 in Wardell, where he had gone from Wallsend, NSW. He was reported to have a sickly disposition, although being a devoted, very hard-working and well-loved doctor in the Richmond River area.

He had gone home to England for a couple of years and worked there, but he returned to the area. He was in the lodge, an Anglican lay preacher and lecturer in first aid to the townspeople. In July 1903 a ‘conversazione’ was arranged to farewell him and present him with a bag of sovereigns. He went to Kempsey, but about one year later started up in Duck Creek Mountain (later to become Alstonville).

John T Rennie

John Taylor Rennie, MD (Michigan College of Medicine, Detroit 1884), came in about 1890 from working in Petersham, Sydney, but did not stay long in the area.

John M Sanderson

In 1903, John Murray Sanderson, BA (Cambridge 1892), LSA (Eng. 1898), Resident Medical Officer in Cambridge and London Hospitals and London Temperance Hospital, then Clinical Assistant at Evelina Hospital for Children, started his practice in Ballina. He was the son of an English clergyman and had practised in Broadwater after arriving as a steamer passenger in 1890. (His practice in Broadwater was taken over by Dr Silvio Monti in 1903.) The new doctor in town was welcomed by the Officer of Public Nuisances, who fined him for driving his car around a corner of the road at faster than walking speed, when the doctor was on an emergency call. He helped Dr Charles Corlis at the operation to remove a bullet from a patient in 1904.

In his role of Government Medical Officer in September 1907, he supervised the care of the injured in the wreck of SS Tomki on the Ballina Bar. In 1908, he suffered the indignity of being brought by the local police to court on the charge of being on licensed premises after hours, but the charge was thrown out as he had been called to treat a sick barmaid at the hotel. He dealt with a lot of infantile paralysis cases in about 1910, but reported in 1916 a great reduction in the disease over six years.

Dr Sanderson was an active member of the golf club and was well known for his sociability and wicked sense of humour, which he seemed to have retained, in spite of further official action about his driving speed around ‘Sandy City’. He left Ballina in 1916, reportedly finding it hard to settle down in one place thereafter, despite trying working in northern Queensland, Western Australia and as a ship’s surgeon to Far East ports.

Dr Leary

In 1904, the local paper reported that Dr Leary, late of the Bellinger, had decided to practise in Ballina. The same paper reported soon after that Dr Leary had returned from the Richmond River and resumed his practice in Fernmount, after finding that the Richmond ‘was more plentifully supplied with medicos than patients’.

Harrie CE Donovan

Harrie Carisfort (also known as Harvie Cresford) Edmond Donovan, MB (Sydney 1906), set up rooms in Ballina in July 1907 and was appointed to the hospital when Dr C Corlis resigned. He was newly wed at St Mary’s Cathedral after he did his residency at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst in 1906–7.

Dr Donovan had a busy practice, was on the town council, played competition tennis (with and against Drs Sanderson and Corlis), played and was on the golf and tennis club committees, and was president of the Australian Defence League. Apparently no respecter of his seniors, he beat Dr Corlis in singles golf when Bangalow played against Ballina. He probably yielded to pressure from his very prominent Sydney family in 1912, when he went to Waverley, Sydney to practise. He died in 1938.

Harry J Waddell

In 1912, Harry (Harrie) James Waddell, MB, BS (Sydney 1911) took over from Dr Donovan. He was a very appropriate successor to Dr Donovan, arriving in town and being prominent in all the area tennis tournaments and joining in the bowls. In 1914, he sold his practice to Dr T Butler and moved on to Casino, where he stayed for many years.

Thomas Butler

Thomas Butler, MB (Sydney 1914), was reported to have succeeded Dr Waddell in Ballina at the end of 1914. He had also looked at the South Coast, and is unlikely to have stayed very long, because he went to England and trained in ophthalmology before practising in Sydney where died at the age of fifty-two in 1934.

Clifford Gearin

Following an unusual introduction in the press as ‘from a good Catholic family’, Clifford Gearin, MB, ChM (Sydney 1915) started to practise in Ballina at the beginning of 1917. He had trained as a Resident Medical Officer at Warwick General Hospital (Queensland) and then Brisbane General Hospital. Reports indicate that he was very competent medically and surgically, while not afraid to call on his senior colleagues, e.g. Dr Franceschi from Lismore, to help him in his more difficult cases as Hospital Medical Officer to Ballina Hospital.

He was very hard-working and complained formally to the council about the state of a busy road, on which he was bogged three times one night on the way to a serious incident, and he claimed that two lives were lost as a result of the admittedly terrible state of the road. He was a very popular man and keen bowler and was respected and consulted by the church hierarchy.

Dr Gearin fought very hard for good operating conditions and instruments in the operating theatre at Ballina Hospital. He was joined by his medical school yearmate, Dr Yeates, in 1918 and as Government Medical Officer for the region was responsible for combating the pneumonic flu in the area in 1919. In particular being responsible for physical isolation of nearby Alstonville, with no resident doctor from the officially ‘infected area’, Lismore, thereby minimising its exposure to the deadly disease.

Soon after he had difficulties with the matron of Ballina Hospital and had no support from the board, so he resigned from the hospital and had to rely on use of a local private hospital for his patients for the next three years. Then he suffered the sudden loss of his wife, leaving him with a three-day-old baby and, after a very valiant attempt to carry on for a year, had to go back to Sydney in March 1922, having personally arranged his successor in Ballina. He became a Macquarie Street specialist, working at St Vincent’s Hospital and continued to be a very popular and well-respected citizen.

Walter FS Yeates

In 1918, Walter Francis Stewart Yeates, MB (Sydney 1915) started to practise in the town. He had served as Medical Officer abroad in the British Army in WWI before transferring to the Australian forces. He worked from a beautiful big house at the river end of Cherry Street. Dr Yeates was a big man who carried out a full range of general practice skills.

He was a very good golfer for many years before playing bowls to a high standard. He was a bachelor and over the years he was an active member of the lodge, Richmond River Sailing Club (of which he was Commodore) and a member and judge of the Ballina Jockey Club. His devoted service to the town came to a sad end when he collapsed and died in the operating theatre at Ballina Hospital in 1957, at the age of sixty-three.

Thomas JB Connelly

Thomas John Bede Connelly, MB, ChM (Sydney 1920), Resident Medical Officer at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney took over from Dr Gearin in March 1922. He was a keen bowler in his spare time. He was in Ballina until August 1925, leaving for Brisbane but later returned to Sydney.

Frederick N Lynch

In January 1924, Frederick Ninian Lynch, BA (Sydney 1915), MB, ChM (Sydney 1921), was in practice from a house in Tamar Street. He had done his residency at Lidcombe State Hospital in 1921 and Lewisham Hospital in 1922–23.

In his time in Ballina he was a member of the lodge and very involved in the community, in particular being on the Ballina Municipal Council for two terms and being a founding member and the official judge of the greyhound racing club. Dr Lynch was also prominent in the running in Ballina of the first aerial derby in a country town, in 1929 and subsequent years and pushed hard for improvement of the increasingly popular aerodrome, including the erection of a hangar. He was given an official farewell by the council in December 1936, when he left to go to Waverley in Sydney prior to enlisting in WWII and becoming a lieut-colonel.

Henry V Gillies

Henry Vicars Gillies, MB (Sydney 1916) was in Ballina in 1926–27. He was a member of an unusual group of intellectuals calling themselves ‘The Bird Club’ and he played in the local golf competitions.

Francis T Grainger

In 1935, Francis Transvaal Grainger, MB, ChM (Sydney 1925) was the third doctor living in Ballina. His practice was in River Street. After practising in Ballina, he was in Melbourne by 1940, then he went back to Sydney and in 1948, when living in Bondi, met the unusual fate of being run over and killed by a Coogee tram outside the Randwick Racecourse.

Francis MG Punch

Francis Michael Greenway Punch, MB, ChB (Sydney 1926), born in Paddington, Sydney, Resident Medical Officer at Marrickville Hospital in 1927–28 and 1930–33, was practising in Ballina in 1936, having been previously in Ashfield, Sydney. He was in the news in 1936 for his return to treating patients soon after being thrown from his car in a collision with another vehicle. From Ballina he went to Annandale, Sydney.

Ronald AA Macqueen

In 1939, Ronald Alan Archibald Macqueen, MB, (Sydney 1911), was in practice in Ballina after having previously been in Tasmania (1915), Rockhampton (1935) and Condobolin (NSW). He was the son of Dr Archibald Macqueen, of Lismore in the 1880s. He had the credit of delivering the first baby in the new Ballina District Hospital when it opened in 1939.

Dr Macqueen was a solo GP and had wide sporting interests, including involvement with the Ballina Jockey Club and bowling club. He developed an interest in skin diseases and this progressed to his leaving Ballina to specialise in dermatology in Lismore in 1963 for ten years and to Sydney in 1973. He died in Sydney the following year, aged eighty-four.

Gordon S Calnan

Gordon Sylvester Calnan, MB (Hons, Sydney 1946), BS (Sydney 1948), Resident Medical Officer at the Newcastle Mater Hospital, started his practice in Crane Street in 1950. He had been a short time in Junee before starting in the Richmond River region in Alstonville in 1947. In 1951, Dr Yeates, Dr Macqueen and Dr Calnan were the three doctors in Ballina. Dr Calnan was a late starter in medicine after working in insurance for eight years, but still was to achieve the extraordinary feat of practising in Ballina for fifty years—with a grand total of thirty years as Government Medical Officer.

He was a Visiting Medical Officer at the Ballina Hospital, Honorary Medical Officer for the Ballina Jockey Club and Ballina Boxing Club, a member of Rotary and the area aviation doctor. He carried out the delivery of more than 2500 babies. Dr Calnan was highly respected in the community and among his colleagues, those younger ones whom he took into his practice regarding it as a great privilege and experience to have him as a mentor. He was joined by Dr PM Yantsch in 1977 and Dr NL Nicholl in 1978. He was the worthy recipient of the OAM in 1985 for his long and devoted service.

Owen H Green

In 1953, Owen Howard Green, MB, BS (Hons Queensland 1950), Resident Medical Officer at Brisbane General Hospital in 1951, started to practise in Cherry Street. He was a GP in Ballina for about three years and continued his career in Stanthorpe (Queensland).

Lucius Allen

Lucius Allen, MB BS (Queensland 1949), Resident Medical Officer at Bundaberg General Hospital in 1949 and at Toowoomba General Hospital (1951), was practising in Tamar Street in 1957. He had come from Pittsworth, Queensland and ran his general practice for about five years before moving to suburban Ascot in Brisbane in 1962.

Michael G Smith

In 1961, Michael Glynne Smith, MB, BS (Eng. 1953), DObst RCOG (1954), set up in solo general practice in Fox Street, later in Wigmore Arcade in River Street. He was born in Bangkok (Thailand) and lived in England for many years. He had been in Mt Gambier (SA) previously.

He worked in his rooms and at Ballina District Hospital, being a hard worker for good relations between the doctors and Ballina Hospital, serving on the Medical Staff Council until early 1987, when he disposed of his practice to Paul Kerkenezov, MB, BS (Queensland 1971), a second-generation Far North Coast doctor, previously a GP in Yamba who developed an interest in emergency medicine and trauma. Dr Smith was a great supporter of the charity Anglicare and retired to Newrybar.

Roy M McLeod

Roy Maxwell McLeod, MB, BS (Queensland 1952), MRACGP, was in Moon Street in 1960, then later in Tamar Street, Ballina, having come from Maryborough (Queensland). He was in solo general practice for nineteen years before retiring in 1978 and continued to enjoy living in the local community which openly acknowledged his excellent service. His quiet, efficient manner and devotion to his practice play a large part in the restricted information about his public life.

Roderick T Muirhead

In 1974, Roderick Thomas Muirhead, MB, BS (Otago, NZ 1955), was in practice in Ballina and a Visiting Medical Officer at the hospital for a couple of years and later was in Bowral, NSW.

Ferdinandus J Delooze & Maureen M McKeirnan

The husband and wife team of Ferdinandus Johan (Fred) Delooze, MB, BS (Queensland 1971) and Maureen Mary McKeirnan, MB, BS (Queensland 1968), Resident Medical Officer at Repatriation General Hospital, Brisbane 1969–70, set up a private family practice in Ballina in December 1974. Previously, Dr McKeirnan had worked in psychiatry in Brisbane, with a short time in Kent, England. Apart from becoming very popular doctors, they became part of the Ballina community, Dr Fred keeping wicket in the area grade cricket competition well into super-veteran stage, and Dr Maureen founding a very stylish ladies’ footwear shop. By the time they went to look after the armed forces in Saudi Arabia at the end of 1984, the practice had taken in Dr M Gillies.

Philip M Yantsch

In 1977, Philip Mervyn Yantsch, MB, BS (Queensland 1968), FRACGP, FACRM (Sydney), Resident Medical Officer at Royal Brisbane Hospital (1968), joined in the practice of Dr G Calnan. Previously, he had been a GP in Tenterfield, NSW, after serving in Vietnam. He found his amiable experienced colleague a great patient manager and a keen mentor in general practice, surgery and obstetrics. Dr Yantsch develop a keen interest in cattle breeding, flying and the associated aviation medicine and a fancy for 1932 Fords. Later he moved to Inverell, across the ranges, where the farms and cattle were larger.

Neil L Nicholl

Neil Livingstone Nicholl, MB, BS (Sydney 1958), son of the late Dr ‘Snow’ Nicholl of Lismore, arrived in Ballina in 1978 to join Dr Calnan in Crane Street. He had been in Casino from 1961. Sadly, Dr Neil Nicholl died in 1981.

Francis GE Hughes

In 1978, Francis Gerald Eamon Hughes, MB, ChB (NU Ire 1947), BAO (NU Ire 1947), set up the first resident practice in the nearby village of Lennox Head. He had worked in England as Medical Officer at Nottingham General Hospital (1947–49), a GP in Ollerton (1949–68), in administration at Nyah West County Hospital (1968–72) and Medical Officer to the St John Ambulance for eighteen years, before joining the Rawle practice in Lismore in 1972. Dr Hughes was persuaded by the locals to go to Lennox Head and repaid them with twenty-one years of friendly, devoted service. He was a Visiting Medical Officer at Ballina District Hospital, before retiring to Murwillumbah, a little further north.

Hugh O Beeston

Hugh Olvey Beeston, MB, BS (Queensland 1957), DObst RCOG (Eng. 1977), had started in Ballina by 1979. After graduation, he had been a Resident Medical Officer at Mackay Base Hospital in 1958, Rockhampton in 1958 and Townsville in 1959. He had been previously in general practice in Castlemaine, Victoria. His rooms were in Moon Street, Ballina and he was also a Visiting Medical Officer at the hospital. Later on, he went to East Brisbane.

Matea W Gillies

Also by 1979, Matea William Gillies, MB, ChB (Otago, NZ 1974), DObst RACOG, joined Drs Delooze and McKeirnan in their family practice which he continued when they went overseas.

Nicholas Kerkenezov

Nicholas Kerkenezov, MB, BS (Sydney 1943), DOMS (Dublin and Eng. 1951), left his Lismore practice to set up in his rooms in Ballina in 1980 as Resident Ophthalmologist. He continued his love for orchids, blackfishing and civic duties as a shire councillor, carrying on the good work of Dr FN Lynch in the 1920s to get a modern regional aerodrome in Ballina.

Dennis A Evans

In 1981, Dennis Allan Evans, MB, ChB (Birmingham 1976), was practising in River Street, after having started in Lennox Head. A Brisbane boy, he went to England to study medicine and, on returning to Australia, enjoyed life in rural general practice, in his spare time taking the opportunity to challenge the big waves on his surf ski and play golf.

Rex L Abraham

Rex Leslie Abraham, MB, BS (Queensland 1977) was working as a GP in Ballina in 1982. He had been previously in Western Australia.

Gerald L Douglas

In 1982, Gerald Leslie Douglas, MB, BS (Sydney 1956), MRACGP (1969), FRACGP (1974), was in medical practice in Ballina. He had been previously a GP and in public health positions in Sydney from 1958–68. In 1986, he started practising from nearby Fernleigh.

Christopher J McKenzie

Christopher John McKenzie, MB, BS (NSW 1978) was in Ballina by 1983, joining Dr Evans and later Dr Gillies. Born in Hillston, NSW, he was a Resident Medical Officer and Registrar at Sydney Hospital from 1978–81 and had training in paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and anaesthetics before choosing to practise on the North Coast, near his parents. It was the start of a long association with Ballina.

Christopher Greenway

In 1983, Christopher Greenway, MB, ChB (Birmingham 1976), DObst RCOG (Eng. 1978), D.A (Eng. 1980), LMCC (Canada 1982) and MRCGP (Eng. 1983), started practising in Grant Street. He had extensive general, obstetric and anaesthetic experience in hospitals in Birmingham, London and Auckland before coming to Australia and working as Registrar in Windsor Hospital and as a GP in Gloucester before deciding Ballina was a good place to settle.

Joseph J Young

Joseph John Young, MB, BS (Bombay 1969), was in 1984 in a general practice in Tamar Street and Visiting Medical Officer at the hospital.

Shaun Stevens

In 1984, Shaun Stevens, BA, MB, BS (NSW 1979), a former Resident Medical Officer at Royal North Shore Hospital and Lismore Base Hospital, started in general practice in Ballina and was a Visiting Medical Officer at the hospital. He was a well-known graphic artist, who exhibited widely. After a few years, he became one of the first Career Medical Officers at Lismore Base Hospital. In 1985–86, Ballina had an influx of six new general practitioners, reflecting the burgeoning population of the area and also the increased requirements of the people for medical supervision.

Alice H Caseleyr

Alice Heather Caseleyr, MB, BS (NSW 1979), joined Dr Calnan’s group, taking over from Dr Yantsch. She had been a Resident Medical Officer at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, before two years GP in Lane Cove, Sydney and Savage River, Tasmania.

David L Havill

David Lyle Havill, MB, BS (NSW 1980), joined Dr Chris McKenzie in the clinic in Martin Street and became a Visiting Medical Officer at the hospital. He had been Resident Medical Officer at Canberra-Woden Valley Hospital in 1981–82 and trained for the DObst RACOG there in 1983, before doing rural locums in NSW and being overseas for a year. Dr Havill was in general practice with interest in obstetrics, outside interests including golf, camping and hiking.

Paul B Hosie

Paul Bernard Hosie, MB, BS (Sydney 1981), Lismore born, started with Dr C Greenway in Moon Street.

Colin J Macdonald

Colin John Macdonald, MB, BS (NSW 1977), Resident Medical Officer at Wollongong Hospital, NSW in 1977–78, began in the general practice in River Street in February 1986, taking over the practice of Dr G Douglas. He had been a Medical Officer in the RAN for over six years, with particular involvement in submarine and underwater medicine. He became involved in the medical supervision of the Ballina Rugby League Club.

Bruce E King

Bruce Elvery King, MB, BS (Queensland 1981), began in Ballina with Dr McDonald as a GP in River Street. Previously he had been a Resident Medical Officer at Royal Brisbane Hospital (1981–83) and Medical Administrator at Babinda Hospital, Queensland (1984–85).

Desmond P Williamson

Desmond Paul Williamson, MB, BS (NSW 1978), joined the family medical centre in Moon Street.