John O'Brien

John O'Brien
General Surgeon
17 June 1925 - 18 November 2017

Mr O'Brien has had many descriptions made about him, but as a young medical student I found him simply "scary". When I was a surgical registrar at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide he was still "scary". And as I took on the role of Director of Surgery at TQEH in 1993 and he retired, nothing had changed. It was not that he behaved in an inappropriate or intimidating fashion, it was his obvious command of the surgical specialty, his enormous expertise clinically, his extraordinary intellect, but mostly his mastery of the empire "TQEH Surgery" which he controlled. I guess many viewed him a bit like a four‐year‐old views Father Christmas - large, impressive, wise and overwhelming.

After John completed medical school he remained in Adelaide for a few years before heading over to the United Kingdom to gain his English Fellowship, returning in the mid‐fifties to begin at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Bill Proudman, in his yet to be released book "In the Beginning", which characterises the early days of The Queen Elizabeth, suggests that on his return to Adelaide he was most influenced by Russell Barbour, one of Adelaide's outstanding surgeons at the time with a deep understanding of anatomy. John O'Brien himself would go on to become a surgeon's surgeon, not only because of his technical skills, but more importantly his judgement. Even Bill Proudman, in his memoirs, sought John O'Brien as his source of a second opinion. Not many have that accolade placed.

There can be no doubting his surgical skill or judgement. But many great surgeons have these talents. It was perhaps more his enthusiasm for teaching, training and guiding medical students, surgical trainees, junior consultants and even peers. Mr O'Brien's opinions and observations were not to be taken lightly and never, in my experience, were. But his commitment to the next generations of doctors and surgeons didn't stop with his retirement. He seemed not to have grasped the fact that his car did not automatically drive to TQEH. For many years he attended weekly for student and trainee tutorials attended by the current generation of consultant surgeons in South Australia and Australia who, in turn, follow the example they saw him practise.

John was one of the foundation members of the honorary staff at TQEH in 1959. He saw the first patient in the Surgical Outpatient Department. The woman had right upper quadrant pain and he ordered a cholecystogram, well before the availability of ultrasounds. It turned out to be normal, so avoiding a cholecystectomy, but making history for TQEH.

John O'Brien became Honorary Assistant Surgeon, with Bill Proudman as his registrar. The two would have been a force to be reckoned with. I would like to suggest that those training under both of them would never forget the experience on the J R Magarey Unit on Ward 5A.

With the retirement of Noel Bonnin, John descended to 4A to be Head of Unit. I don't want to digress into a CV dissertation, but John O'Brien's interest and enthusiasm in hospital affairs was sustained not only to his retirement but well beyond. He was the first Secretary of the Medical Staff Society, later Chairman. He served on innumerable hospital sub‐committees. He served on TQEH Foundation, laying the base for what is now South Australia's most successful medical research fund raiser. Later he became State Chairman of the RACS State Committee, a post he held during the annual Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Scientific Meeting in Adelaide. He later became Director of Surgery at TQEH, retiring in 1992.

Although John O'Brien can date his association with The Queen Elizabeth from 1958, becoming at that time an Honorary Assistant Surgeon, I always enjoyed pointing out to him that I started there a year earlier, in 1957, being born at the newly opened Maternity Wing.

With retirement from TQEH, his connection with the hospital never lapsed. He was particularly assiduous in his convening and attendance at the retired surgeons (later expanded to provide a wider range of past medical staff), still scary but great fun and completely on top of the current issues. I have been often invited to attend these functions and on every occasion he would say to either the audience or those assembled at his table, "I know that many of you think I should have gone by now but, as you can see, I am still here". Unfortunately 2017 will mark the end of his membership.

On the 2nd April 2016, with the rebuild of six theatres at TQEH, it was a great pleasure to invite John and the family to see Theatre 1 formally named the "John O'Brien Theatre". The fact that 25 years after his retirement, the respect, affection and support of his colleagues and trainees was still so strong says volumes of his impact on so many.

We all only get one chance at a lifetime. As surgeons we care for patients, some of whom are robbed of a long life, and help those who must deal with declining health into old age. We all hope to leave a legacy over time, family, friends, work and thoughts. Others can speak far better than me about John O'Brien's broader contributions, but as a leader of surgeons and surgery he has few peers in South Australia and the legacy that started with the first outpatient seen by John at TQEH with right upper quadrant pain continues today in the start‐of‐the‐art "John O'Brien Theatre" in the theatre that he excelled in for 34 years while on staff.

He leaves high standards, consummate skills, strong leadership, and still remains a little scary.

This obituary was kindly provided by Professor Guy Maddern, FRACS.