Joan O'Brien: Well, Bernard did train at St Vincent’s and I met him in Salisbury [England] in the plastic surgery unit. He was outstanding there. You could always get him if you needed him. He was always there. I think that probably was the foundation of this [Institute], now. He was a visionary, and an optimist, which I wasn’t. And he was a lateral thinker. I could always go to him, with even a domestic problem and he would have a solution. He was remarkable in that.

But I think what attracted me to him in the beginning was his sense of humour, which was abounding. He imitated me and made quite a bit of fun. And I think that helped a lot.

Ann Westmore: Had he been doing research overseas?

Joan O'Brien: No.

Ann Westmore: So how was it that he was doing research here at St Vincent's in the early 1960s?

Joan O'Brien: I think there were inklings of it. He was thinking about research even then [in England] but of course he was just finishing his four years [training in] plastic surgery. And then he went to Bill Littler[20] in New York where he had six months [training] in hand surgery. And I think that was inspiring.

I do remember him speaking of Wayne [Morrison]. Before Wayne went overseas we had a dinner. He looked remarkably young [with] dark, curly hair. Bernie said to me 'Watch him. Yes, watch him. He's very talented.’ (laughter) Yes, the curls have gone but underneath the thatch of hair there’s still something going apparently.

Bernie, I must say, was extremely loyal to colleagues, too. It was a joy to him when the Fellows from overseas came here. There was some affection as well. Many of them have spoken to me about him.

He had a green card on which, every evening after dinner, he would tick off about forty items. And then he'd make a new green card. And other surgeons overseas apparently are doing this too. They seem to remember a lot of details about him.

Ann Westmore: Now I don't know everyone here. So please feel free to interrupt and add your recollections at any point. Perhaps, Wayne, when did you first meet Bernard? And were you aware that this idea [of an Institute] was hatching.

Wayne Morrison: I've often tried to remember when I first met him and when my fate was sealed. It had to be when I was a first year resident, or as they’re now called interns. That was in 1968.

My first recollection, I must say, was on the other side of the operating fence, in a sense. We had a rotation in anaesthesia and Bernard was operating. At that time he'd just introduced microsurgery. And this was a dreaded concept to both the anaesthetists - and Ralph Clark[21] who’s with us today, I’m sure, will tell us more later – as well as to the nursing staff and anyone who wasn’t absolutely committed to the process, because it took hours and hours of apparently not very exciting observational time for the non-committed.

Witness to the History of Australian Medicine