Peter Court Grayson
Peter Court Grayson FRACS
2 May 1923 - 18 February 2016
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Peter was born in New Plymouth, the eldest child of Henry James Grayson, and Minnie Thorburn Court. He had a sister, Pamela, and brother, Garth. Following their father's appointment as assistant general manager of the Standard Insurance Company, the family moved to Dunedin when Peter was five years old. Living next to the Balmacewan Golf Course, and with keen golfing parents, Peter was soon caddying for a fee of one shilling and three pence (equivalent to $15). He commenced school at Maori Hill Primary School and at the age of 11 was enrolled at nearby John McGlashan College, where he was made junior dux at the end of his two years there. Peter then attended Otago Boys High School 1937-41, where he became a prefect and captained the 1st cricket XI in his final two years at school. Deciding on medicine as a career, and being aware of the costs involved, Peter secured a Lizzie Rathbone Scholarship as the student from Otago or Southland obtaining the highest marks in English and History in the national scholarship examination.
Peter gained entry to the Otago Medical School in 1942, completing his MB ChB in 1948. During his time at university he continued to participate in both cricket and golf being awarded a University Blue for golf. In common with many others, he was called up for home service and for three years found himself doing regular camps with the Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps. During this period, on a blind date, he met a beautifully dressed physiotherapy student, Marjorie (Mardi) Holiday, and soon after they were married. Rick and Tim were born in the ensuing few years.
After completing the obligatory house surgeon year at Dunedin Hospital, Peter and Mardi moved to Wellington Hospital where Peter spent two years as a surgical registrar. In February 1952, they returned to Dunedin where Peter worked for a year as an anatomy and physiology demonstrator while preparing for the Part 1 RACS examination. Unfortunately, like the other two New Zealanders sitting the exam in Melbourne at the end of that year, he was unsuccessful (unlike the local candidates who were well-known to the examiners). Not for the last time the question of Cui Bono (who benefits?) was raised.
In 1953, Peter and Mardi with their two children travelled to London. Having passed anatomy in Melbourne, Peter failed this in London largely, he suspected, because a particularly pompous examiner didn't take kindly to the colonial! During the next three years he gained orthopaedic experience at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, which he enjoyed particularly for the wonderful golf courses nearby, such as Wentworth, Sunningdale, Berkshire and others. Long-lasting friendships were formed. He found Edinburgh free of Cui Bono with delightful examiners and had no difficulty completing the FRCSEd in 1955.
At the end of 1955, Peter received an urgent phone call from Wellington Hospital asking him to come back to Wellington as soon as possible, as they had an orthopaedic vacancy on the staff and needed somebody to be there by Christmas so that the seniors could have a holiday. While he was offered a passage home by air, it was expected that Mardi and the boys would return separately by ship - he was at least able to insist they be provided first class cabins. He remained a year in Wellington as a senior orthopaedic registrar, during which he finally earned his FRACS. ("This time I had no problems in passing the exam because the examiners were New Zealanders. Cui Bono again!"). In 1957, he accepted an offer from Dick Dawson to join him in Palmerston North in both public hospital and private practice. They worked long hours with a one in two roster as a separate orthopaedic service was developed. With the family now established in Palmerston North, they welcomed five more children - Julie 1957, Anthony 1959, Diana 1960, David 1963 and Virginia 1967. Unfortunately, Dick died prematurely in 1966 at the age of 51.
In 1966, Peter returned to England to attend a meeting of the British Orthopaedic Association where he was influenced by a presentation by Norwich surgeon, Kenneth (Ken) McKee, who had developed a metal replacement hip. A good friend, Roy Maudsley, still working at Ascot, then provided Peter with the opportunity to assist him with this new procedure performed through the anterior approach. Returning to New Zealand, Peter decided the anterior approach was unnecessarily difficult and undertook his first operation (and New Zealand's first hip replacement procedure) through a posterior approach (after obtaining a government license to import the instruments and the hip replacement components, all of which had to be paid for by the patient). Peter's subsequent provision of care for a Cabinet Minister involved in a very serious motor vehicle accident was followed some time later by a government decision to make publicly funded joint replacements free to patients.
Peter took an active interest in the development of orthopaedic surgery in Palmerston North and New Zealand, including advocating for trainees to experience part of their training in centres outside of the four main cities. For many years he also travelled regularly to Masterton to operate and conduct clinics and was a consultant surgeon to the Crippled Children's Society, which honoured this service at the time of his retirement. He served as President of the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association 1980-81. At an early stage Peter became aware that members of the medical profession were disadvantaged in respect to taxation, with incomes which quickly rose to the maximal level of 66% while companies were taxed maximally at 33%. He and his partners in Palmerston North soon created a professional company and this business arrangement became popular.
The family spent many happy holidays fishing, tramping and lazing at the Dawson family bach and various rental properties at Matapouri Bay, Northland. Peter found golf to be a major source of pleasure throughout his life and, enjoying travel with Mardi similarly afflicted, played on many internationally renowned courses. He dedicated his retirement years to selflessly caring for Mardi, who suffered from dementia and subsequently a stroke, which left her speechless. Mardi died in 2015 and after such a long and fruitful partnership Peter was heartbroken. His spirits were lifted when two months before his death he accomplished a hole in one on the 16th hole at Hastings Golf Club - his second hole in one after a gap of 70 years and in his words "a work of miracle".
Peter died from metastatic melanoma and is survived by a sister, Pam Bell of Perth, W.A., and children Rick, Tim, Julie, Anthony, Diana, David and Virginia, and 10 grandchildren.
This obituary is based on Peter's personal notes with the assistance of David Grayson FRACS and other members of the family