I applied for a job as a biochemist in 1982 and I had a phone interview while I was working in a lab in Manchester, UK. And I was struck by the enthusiasm of this so-called Mr O'Brien who was interviewing me. It sounded like a good place and I was quite keen to get back to Melbourne where I’d done all my early work – I’d done my PhD at Monash.

When I arrived I was struck with this little ante-room which was the so-called well-equipped biochemistry laboratory. (laughter) That was what we had to start off with. I had to learn about things called flaps which I'd never heard of, but all the literature I was sent talked about ischaemia and reperfusion injury in skin flaps. So once I took that on board, I then consulted two key scientists – Jack Martin[65] who was a friend of Bernie’s out at the Repat[66] who knew all about the developing field of what prostaglandins were and how they functioned in blood vessels. And I also consulted with Jim Angus who knew all the drugs which manipulated these pathways. I followed on from Maggie Niall so I was actually the third scientist, and I’ve been associated with the place continuously – apart from a period in pathology - ever since.

As the biochemistry stream developed it spread out into physiology and pharmacology. You had to be a multi-disciplinary scientist to work in this place. There were so few of us that you really had to be a master in quite a few different fields. On the other side, Geraldine Mitchell[67] was appointed histopathologist in the same year, 1982, as I was and she's still working here. And through the histopathology side, people like Michael [Hickey] and Aurora Messina[68] were appointed – they’re some of the key senior scientist who are still employed here and many of them have stayed a very long time.

I'm also familiar with the green card. That was one thing that I always dreaded. I knew when I wanted to escape at about a quarter to six – I worked on the second floor and Bernie was in the main office on the first floor – if I spotted him with the green card in his hand I made a quick exit down the stairwell.

Bernie was very much a workaholic and we soon got into this grant-writing that you've heard so much about. In one particular year I must have sent out 50 to 60 applications to various charitable trusts around town. I suppose by weight of numbers we were sufficiently successful to employ increasing numbers of people in the laboratory. We also had a very good success rate with the NHMRC for a surgical research place.

I'll always recall one particular NHMRC interview when Mr O’Brien took along his text book of reconstructive microsurgery. I think it was the twentieth year and he announced to the NHMRC panel, 'Right, this is 20 years of continuous NHMRC funding’. During that same interview he was queried as to why he had his work laid down as 40 hours per week for research when that accounted for a full working week. His response to the interview panel was, 'Actually, I work 100 hours per week, forty hours on research and sixty hours on surgery.’ That was no mean boast and it was a pretty true indication of what he was working, as Joan [O’Brien] well knows.

But the thing that struck me immediately was an air of familiarity about my workplace. Having just arrived back in Melbourne from a job in Manchester, UK, I discovered that Joan [O'Brien] had lived most of her life in the same city. When first introduced to Allan MacLeod I noticed a strong likeness to my former maths teacher at school, Jack MacLeod, who turned out to be his brother. At that time, Bernie’s chief plastic surgery theatre nurse in St Vincent’s Private Hospital was Beverly Gabb, my second cousin. Furthermore, Bernie’s medical indemnity lawyer and teammate in the University of Melbourne football team was John Ball, my mother’s cousin and our family’s lawyer. With all of those familiar faces, I was immediately made to feel welcome as part of the “family”. Perhaps I’ll leave it at that.

Michael Hickey: My association began in 1987. I think it's fair to say that the research component was going through a reasonably active growth phase and there were more grants coming on line and I was employed as a research assistant through one of those grants. One of the important things that I want to make sure is not overlooked is the input of a certain individual who came on board at the same time. John Hurley was Professor of Pathology at Melbourne University and he retired in 1986, I think.[69] I don’t know how it happened but John was brought on board by Bernie and probably there’s a story there. John Hurley was a very, very clear-minded straight-thinking researcher, as well as being a pathologist. In essence he was a teacher really. He would come three half days a week to help the research side of things and to have input into all the research that was being done. He had a huge input in making the research side of things a success.

I started off as a research assistant and when a project became available that was suitable for a PhD, John Hurley and Geraldine Mitchell became my PhD supervisors. It was an indication that the research effort was growing, the success rate in terms of getting funding was starting to snowball at that stage. We were in the old building for many years and through the funding that we've talked about, we were able to knock that old building down and regenerate this building and we spent a year or 18 months over in the Department of Surgery. I’ve got memories of packing up and becoming a removalist at one end and taking it all over to the Department of Surgery, and doing the same thing when the brand new building was put up. I think Sue [McKay] and Liliana [Pepe] would probably have positive memories of the transition into the nice new [operating] theatres as well.

Figure 10

Michael Hickey conducts research on ischaemia reperfusion injury. Used with the permission of the Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery.

Witness to the History of Australian Medicine