Personal service

The newest Life Members of the AMA were honoured for their dedicated commitment to the AMA and their patients at a morning tea in Veale Gardens in May.

In welcoming the Life Members and their guests, Dr Michelle Atchison, at the time President of AMA(SA), said it was pleasing to be able to stage a ‘live’ event in what have been uncertain times.

‘The awarding of life memberships is a very important event on the AMA(SA) calendar,’ Dr Atchison said.

‘As members of this association for at least 50 years, our Life Members have led, participated in and witnessed innovations and changes that have revolutionised the practice of medicine and transformed people’s lives.

‘They have mentored and supported generations of junior doctors – the doctors who are now leading the profession and its development in the same way you have done.’

The specialties and interests of the members awarded life membership in 2023 and others who joined the ceremony reflected the range of expertise within the AMA: general practitioners, neurologists, ophthalmologists, urologists, paediatricians, anaesthetists and psychiatrists.

‘Without people who choose their specialty areas, and then devote their lives to helping people by treating or researching the relevant medical conditions, we would not have an AMA with the reputation and profile we do today,’ Dr Atchison said.

‘Despite the crisis in health care that is affecting so many of us and our colleagues, doctors are the most trusted professionals in our society.

‘And the AMA, in representing doctors in all fields of clinical medicine, is among the most trusted and valued organisations.’

Dr Atchison said ‘a growing mistrust in science and evidencebased medicine’ had emerged during the pandemic.

‘It is vital, therefore, that governments and the media still come to us in the AMA for information, guidance and advice, because we are seen to speak for our patients and for doctors.’

Here today, we have representatives from across the profession.

The list of those we are honouring this year includes the following, and we will ask you to come up individually in a moment.

The new members are:

• General practitioner Dr Jonathan Cook

• Neurologist Dr Robert Hall

General practitioner Dr Michael Kain

• General practitioner Dr Suzanne King

• General practitioner Dr Ian Macintosh

• Psychiatrist Dr Raymond Taylor

• Ophthalmologist Dr John Willoughby OAM.

They were joined by former AMA(SA) President and general practitioner Dr Peter Joseph, who was unable to attend the 2022 ceremony. Dr Cook and Dr Taylor were absent from the morning tea.