RGS in Three Generations

Buoyed up by the success of the first book, I wrote a second, entitled How to be an Effective Expert Witness, which I self-published, mainly because I was impatient to see it in print. The Academy of Experts reviewed the book and said, “This work deserves to become the vade mecum for the clinician acting as an expert witness.” With two books in print I began to think of myself as an author, which was important because when I’d had to give up dentistry one of the things I’d struggled to come to terms with was the loss of what I called my ‘label’.

A couple of years ago the publisher of Managing a Dental Practice: The Genghis Khan Way asked me if I’d like to write another book, a practical teaching resource to go alongside ‘Genghis’. I wasn’t keen, but ended up writing Developing Your Dental Team’s Management Skills: The Genghis Khan Way with my wife, whose background was much more in tune with the subject matter.

“When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” (Alexander Graham Bell)

I was on the verge of putting my non-fiction writing to one side and concentrating on writing fiction, which I’d always wanted to do, when I was asked to contribute a chapter to a book about how to enjoy Dentistry (aimed at dentists, not patients!) One of my fellow contributors is the dentist Adam Glassford (84-91). The profit from the sale of this book, Messages from Dental Masters 2, goes to the charity Bridge2Aid, which funds the training of local health workers in Tanzania and Rwanda by British dental volunteers in basic dental skills.

Then, just when I thought I could finally focus on writing fiction, a publisher asked if I’d be interested in writing a second edition of my expert book. That was at the beginning of the year, and after several months of frantic writing a new edition is in the pipeline, re-titled The Effective and Efficient Clinical Negligence Expert Witness. It should be out later this year.

I have managed to write some fiction: a short play, a short story, and one piece of flash fiction, all of which I’ve selfpublished. I have made a start on a novel and perhaps sometime in the not-too-distant-future, when I can finally find the time to finish it, it too might see the light of day. I count myself very lucky to have been able to pursue a second career as an author, something I never thought I would ever do. Having started out as a writer of articles, and then having moved on to being an author, I wonder if one day my label will say ‘novelist’?

Details of all of my books, plus information about the forthcoming expert witness book, can all be found on my Amazon Author page at amazon.com/author/ youngmichael

David Goldwater (51-62) with the Wood family, Walter, Simon and Edwin

It is a rare and momentous occasion to have three generations of RGS students in the Main Hall, so we were delighted to bring together Walter Wood (37-44), his son Simon Wood (72-77) and grandson Edwin Wood (Year 13) in a plan hatched between Jane Medcalf (development manager) and Simon, former governor and ONA President. Walter was greatly influenced by former teacher, Michael Roberts (25-31 and 34-41) and gave David Goldwater (51-62) the inspiration to write about Michael Roberts (see issue 91) in his long-running series, A History of the RGS in Its People. It gave David the greatest pleasure to meet Walter and to present the ONA Magazine in which Michael Roberts was featured. Walter remembers his first Chemistry lesson with Michael Roberts: ‘He moved around the lab like a man possessed, reaching for bottles, mixing as if by accident and producing the most spectacular colours, fizzes and bangs. We were on the edge of our stools for the whole lesson’.