HISTORY
Born during a turbulent period in Southland's medical history, the Southland Medical Foundation was the brainchild of eminent Wellington consultant physician, Sir Charles Burns. Sir Charles was engaged by the then Southland Hospital Board as "physician extraordinary" to resolve differences between the board, hospital administration and the medical profession over the development of Southland Hospital.
There was grave concern, too, at that time, about the shortage of general practitioners in the province. As Sir Charles himself said, "When I came to Southland it seemed that there were three bodies of people who had everything to gain if they could work together, and everything to lose if they remained as they appeared to be, at loggerheads with one another . . . the public at large, the Hospital Board and the medical profession.
He added: "If your hospitals are to be upgraded, if your hospital services are to be brought up to the standard you should expect of them, if your doctors are to be provided with the equipment and other facilities which are essential to your obtaining the best possible nursing and medical care in times of sickness, you yourselves have got to come to their rescue . . . this can best be done by the establishment of a Medical Foundation, funds subscribed to which will be made use of for the advancement of medical science - and that means in the long run the improvement of medical diagnosis and treatment."
So it was that on 28 November 1966 an informal meeting of medical and lay persons was held in the board room of Federated Farmers (Southland) "to explore the propriety of establishing a medical foundation in Southland." As a result of that meeting a steering committee was formed consisting of Mr (later Sir Alan) Gilkison as chairman, Sir Charles Burns, Drs Derek Clarke, C H Baird, John Hall-Jones and Alfred Poole and Messrs Alan S Alsweiler, J L Grimaldi, Russell Miller,
K S Semmens, Alfred Walmsley and Peter Wilding. Dr Dawson Cotton was appointed interim secretary. The Foundation was incorporated on 20 February 1967 and a week later a public appeal for funds was launched which raised more than $20,000. The first formal meeting of the Council of the Foundation, following the adoption of the rules, was held on 3 April 1967. At that meeting Mr Gilkison was elected President and Mr Alsweiler Secretary/Treasurer.
At that time, there were so few general practitioners in Southland that doctors were attempting to cope with twice the number of patients seen by their colleagues in the larger cities and much of the early work of the Foundation was aimed at increasing the quality and spread of medical services in the province through financial assistance to doctors to establish here.
Provision of equipment to improve facilities and enable medical research has also been an important aspect of the Foundation's activities. The second annual
report records the first gift to Southland Hospital - videotape equipment for the X-Ray department made possible through the generosity of Mr and Mrs Alfred Walmsley. Local organisations also got behind the Foundation and raised funds. In 1970, for example, the Western Southland Young Farmers Clubs raised $4500 for a gas chromatograph and accessories which enabled a wide range of research and diagnostic activities to be undertaken. In the name of research
the Foundation even funded the breeding of rats at Southland Hospital. Through this project research was carried out into the rejection of foreign organs, the skin of baby rats being used as temporary coverage for patients with ulcers, bed sores and burns. Over the years, the Foundation has funded many items of diagnostic equipment for the hospital.
Finance to advance medical education has been an important aspect of the Foundation's work. Medical and nursing personnel have been assisted to attend conferences and seminars both in New Zealand and overseas, enabling them to keep up with advances in medical knowledge. Students have also been awarded research grants for work at Southland Hospital during university vacations. Other aspects of the Foundation's work include assisting with publications and acting as administrator for funds raised by other bodies for medical equipment.
A major project was the conversion of a former staff recreation room at Southland Hospital into a multi-disciplinary lecture theatre - the Southland Medical Foundation Lecture Theatre. This project was completed in 1981 at a cost of $90,000. That building has since been demolished but the Foundation's name has been transferred to the lecture rooms in the new Community Services building.
From the early 1990s an important contributor to the Foundation's funds has been the W & G S Dick Trust, set up by Southland farmers William and Gwenda Sybil Dick. The Foundation receives half the annual income from the trust for "research into cardiac complaints and diseases, the treatment of the same and the purchase of any machines, appliances or equipment deemed useful for such research or treatment." To fulfil its obligation under the trust deed the
Foundation established a Senior Clinical and Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Otago and the fellowship continues to make an important contribution to research in this area. In addition the Foundation provides capital, where appropriate, for equipment, most recently funding cardiac monitoring machines for Gore Hospital.
During its first 40 years the Foundation has had only seven Presidents -
Sir Alan Gilkison (1967-76), Mr (later the Hon) J R Mills (1976-77), Mr Alfred Walmsley (1977-83), Mr R P H Hewat (1983-94), Mr A M Smith (1994-2005) and Miss Thursa Kennedy (2005-18) and four Secretary/Treasurers - Mr A S Alsweiler (1967-78), Mr I S Alsweiler (1978-1990), Mr P M Muller (1990-2011), Mr Neil Wyeth (2011-2014 ). In 2015 the position of Secretary/Treasurer was split into 2 separate positions: Secretary Mr David Little (2015) and Treasurer Mr Neil Wyeth (2015). After the resignation of Mr Wyeth at the end of 2015, the positions of Secretary and Treasurer were once again combined and Mr D Little took on the dual positon of Secretary/Treasurer 2016- .
Born during a turbulent period in Southland's medical history, the Southland Medical Foundation was the brainchild of eminent Wellington consultant physician, Sir Charles Burns. Sir Charles was engaged by the then Southland Hospital Board as "physician extraordinary" to resolve differences between the board, hospital administration and the medical profession over the development of Southland Hospital.
There was grave concern, too, at that time, about the shortage of general practitioners in the province. As Sir Charles himself said, "When I came to Southland it seemed that there were three bodies of people who had everything to gain if they could work together, and everything to lose if they remained as they appeared to be, at loggerheads with one another . . . the public at large, the Hospital Board and the medical profession.
He added: "If your hospitals are to be upgraded, if your hospital services are to be brought up to the standard you should expect of them, if your doctors are to be provided with the equipment and other facilities which are essential to your obtaining the best possible nursing and medical care in times of sickness, you yourselves have got to come to their rescue . . . this can best be done by the establishment of a Medical Foundation, funds subscribed to which will be made use of for the advancement of medical science - and that means in the long run the improvement of medical diagnosis and treatment."
So it was that on 28 November 1966 an informal meeting of medical and lay persons was held in the board room of Federated Farmers (Southland) "to explore the propriety of establishing a medical foundation in Southland." As a result of that meeting a steering committee was formed consisting of Mr (later Sir Alan) Gilkison as chairman, Sir Charles Burns, Drs Derek Clarke, C H Baird, John Hall-Jones and Alfred Poole and Messrs Alan S Alsweiler, J L Grimaldi, Russell Miller,
K S Semmens, Alfred Walmsley and Peter Wilding. Dr Dawson Cotton was appointed interim secretary. The Foundation was incorporated on 20 February 1967 and a week later a public appeal for funds was launched which raised more than $20,000. The first formal meeting of the Council of the Foundation, following the adoption of the rules, was held on 3 April 1967. At that meeting Mr Gilkison was elected President and Mr Alsweiler Secretary/Treasurer.
At that time, there were so few general practitioners in Southland that doctors were attempting to cope with twice the number of patients seen by their colleagues in the larger cities and much of the early work of the Foundation was aimed at increasing the quality and spread of medical services in the province through financial assistance to doctors to establish here.
Provision of equipment to improve facilities and enable medical research has also been an important aspect of the Foundation's activities. The second annual
report records the first gift to Southland Hospital - videotape equipment for the X-Ray department made possible through the generosity of Mr and Mrs Alfred Walmsley. Local organisations also got behind the Foundation and raised funds. In 1970, for example, the Western Southland Young Farmers Clubs raised $4500 for a gas chromatograph and accessories which enabled a wide range of research and diagnostic activities to be undertaken. In the name of research
the Foundation even funded the breeding of rats at Southland Hospital. Through this project research was carried out into the rejection of foreign organs, the skin of baby rats being used as temporary coverage for patients with ulcers, bed sores and burns. Over the years, the Foundation has funded many items of diagnostic equipment for the hospital.
Finance to advance medical education has been an important aspect of the Foundation's work. Medical and nursing personnel have been assisted to attend conferences and seminars both in New Zealand and overseas, enabling them to keep up with advances in medical knowledge. Students have also been awarded research grants for work at Southland Hospital during university vacations. Other aspects of the Foundation's work include assisting with publications and acting as administrator for funds raised by other bodies for medical equipment.
A major project was the conversion of a former staff recreation room at Southland Hospital into a multi-disciplinary lecture theatre - the Southland Medical Foundation Lecture Theatre. This project was completed in 1981 at a cost of $90,000. That building has since been demolished but the Foundation's name has been transferred to the lecture rooms in the new Community Services building.
From the early 1990s an important contributor to the Foundation's funds has been the W & G S Dick Trust, set up by Southland farmers William and Gwenda Sybil Dick. The Foundation receives half the annual income from the trust for "research into cardiac complaints and diseases, the treatment of the same and the purchase of any machines, appliances or equipment deemed useful for such research or treatment." To fulfil its obligation under the trust deed the
Foundation established a Senior Clinical and Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of Otago and the fellowship continues to make an important contribution to research in this area. In addition the Foundation provides capital, where appropriate, for equipment, most recently funding cardiac monitoring machines for Gore Hospital.
During its first 40 years the Foundation has had only seven Presidents -
Sir Alan Gilkison (1967-76), Mr (later the Hon) J R Mills (1976-77), Mr Alfred Walmsley (1977-83), Mr R P H Hewat (1983-94), Mr A M Smith (1994-2005) and Miss Thursa Kennedy (2005-18) and four Secretary/Treasurers - Mr A S Alsweiler (1967-78), Mr I S Alsweiler (1978-1990), Mr P M Muller (1990-2011), Mr Neil Wyeth (2011-2014 ). In 2015 the position of Secretary/Treasurer was split into 2 separate positions: Secretary Mr David Little (2015) and Treasurer Mr Neil Wyeth (2015). After the resignation of Mr Wyeth at the end of 2015, the positions of Secretary and Treasurer were once again combined and Mr D Little took on the dual positon of Secretary/Treasurer 2016- .