Dr Mary Sutherland retires from our Board

St Andrew’s offers its very best wishes and sincere thanks to long-time Board member Dr Mary Sutherland OAM, on her retirement as of November 2022. Dr Sutherland practiced as an anaesthetist for three decades, served on our Board for 15 years and Chaired the hospital’s Peer Review Committee for over 20 years.

Mary entered her medical career at a time when women were in a definite minority, but modestly rejects the title of trailblazer. She reflects that she was fortunate to have prostatectomy into the Australian public health system.

Peter is a strong advocate for prostate removal to treat early prostate cancer, but when he was first practicing this in the mid 1980s, he says “men had a large cut in the belly, they would frequently need a major blood transfusion to get them through surgery, and end up in ICU for often 24 to 48 hours.”

When he first witnessed da Vinci surgery, Peter says, “for me, it was just like the light turned on. It was just an absolute miracle moment

... the keyhole nature of the surgery would enable the patient to be out of hospital in no time, with barely more than a box of paracetamol for pain relief. Blood transfusions are almost never needed. And the outcomes in regard to potency and continence are dramatically better.” many women mentors.

St Andrew’s is immensely grateful to Dr Sutherland for his leadership in establishing da Vinci robotic surgery at our hospital, for changing thousands of lives and for mentoring the next generation of surgeons. We miss him tremendously.

“Anaesthetics is a field that a lot of women have gravitated to in the past because it incorporated the ability to work part time.” spending more time with family including husband Dr Peter Sutherland, Mary is still devoting wisdom and energy to governance. She has been on the Board of Ngutu College, now in its third year of operation, since before it was constructed in Woodville North. “It’s a new, independent school for ATSI children and non-Indigenous children,” Mary explains.

Of her Board tenure, Mary says that the Eastern Clinical Development, completed in 2019, and the construction of 337 South Terrace, have been highlights increasing the hospital’s capacity, whilst ensuring construction was sensitive to the largely residential corner of the city.

“When we began, we had a headmaster, a vision and that was it. And now we have over 200 students, from reception to year nine. It’s been a great joy working with good people on something from vision to fruition.”

“And it’s been a complete and utter pleasure to work with a CEO who is I think, within the city, without peer.” Whilst retired from St Andrew’s and enjoying

The Board and staff of St Andrew’s sincerely thanks Dr Mary Sutherland for her many years of outstanding contribution to the hospital.