Thorne Dr Rupert F W
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1948 |
Dr Rupert Thorne BM., BS., BSc., Phd., DRACOG.
I was born in Bangalore, India on 11/11/1948, the youngest of 3. Father was ex British army in India and owned Newspapers; his business being in Calcutta. Partition has occurred in India in 1947 and it was an unstable time. Father realised he did not want to have to send his children to England for education, so looked to Australia which he saw as a country of great opportunity.
Our family migrated to Australia in 1951 where we settled on a farm in central NSW. Father never did run the farm himself but kept his businesses in India until 1956. This part of Australia was an idyllic environment to live in and we had a very free and happy childhood.
Both my parents had lived in an environment where they had always had servant help, and had developed few practical skills; my father not knowing how to change a tyre, my mother never having cooked a meal. Thus, arriving in Australia to a house which had no electricity or telephone, and was cut off from the outside world when it rained heavily, was a real future shock, but they had a true pioneering spirit and loved the life, as did I and my siblings.
I was educated at Combanning Primary school; a single teacher R - 6 school which at its maximum had 20 students. Similarly, it had no electricity or telephone and was placed in a paddock in the middle of no-where. The teacher, Stan Martin, was an amazing man and gave us an excellent start to our education. This school, in total, is now in the Temora Museum.
For secondary schooling I was sent as a boarder to Canberra Grammar School, which was not the happiest time of my life. Actually by my final year, I had decided against any further studies and looked forward to a future on the land. My one love at Grammar was rowing, and was in the School's first eight; rowing becoming an option when Lake Burly Griffin filled up in 1963.
In 1966, after completing school, I spent a year on the farm; my father's conditions being that I do it for one year and then go to university for a year to do what I like, and that I do some form of study during the year. Decision easy! I decided that I would study to get my Pilot's license and, in fact, I passed all my exams for commercial flying. This gave me incredible freedom; being able to travel about rapidly in a very worthy Cessna 172. I was a terrible pilot and gave away my license some 5 years later.
In 1967, I attended Australian National University to start a degree in Science and lived in a Hall of Residence. It was amazing, and although initially reluctant to take this step, it rekindled my love of learning. What followed was a wonderful 13 years of full time university study, obtaining first class honours in Biochemistry, and going on to do a PhD in cancer research.
I did take a break of 1 year after my honours degree to do an Administrative Training Scheme with the Public Service in Canberra. It was an eye opening experience, but from which I developed a great understanding and many administrative skills. Sadly my father, who had so carefully (cunningly!) guided me in this direction, died when I was 18, at the end of my first year at University.
During university I decided that I really wanted to do medicine and, in particular, become a country GP. I think I was influenced by our family GP in Temora, a Dr John Bamford, who used to come out to the farm to help us mark the lambs on his day off, and used to give me all his medical magazines to read - as well as his very flash Mercedes on some weekends when I was home!
Thus whilst completing my PhD, and during this time, I met a most remarkable woman who was my neighbour in the post graduate accommodation. I decided to apply for Medical School and was accepted at both Sydney and the brand new medical school at Flinders University. I chose Flinders.
Leaving Canberra was not the problem; it was leaving Helen. Due to an amazing series of events, she joined me in Adelaide and we were married in 1975. This was one of the best decisions of my life. Medical school was everything I could have wished for - it was just an amazing experience- and after graduation and, doing some training in Paediatrics and Obstetrics [which I viewed as essential for country General Practice], I was lucky enough to get a position as an Associate with Hyde and Partners in Gawler, where I subsequently became a partner and stayed until my retirement 30 years later.
Getting the job was interesting- Geoff Hyde wrote a notice for the notice board in the Children's Hospital, stating that the practice wanted another doctor. This practice had a reputation at the hospital which impressed me. If a child was sent down from Hyde and Partners, we were told to respect what they said, as they were rarely wrong. It took me quite a while to open the locked glass from over the notice board and remove the notice, as I really didn't want anyone else applying, and despite a surprised Dr Hyde saying I was the only applicant for the position, I got it.
It was an amazing Practice and just a magnificent place to work. I also felt it was a great privilege to be able to look after the people who were my patients in Gawler. I have so many fond memories, and hope they benefited from my input into their lives.
Gawler is home to us and we have 4 children; 3 of whom were born in Gawler and delivered by our neighbour and then family GP Dr Harbison; a great mentor and lifelong friend.
During my years in Gawler, I served on multiple committees with the Scouts, Elsie Ey kindergarten, on the Board of Trinity College, Gawler [which I chaired for 10 years], served on Hospital committees and currently Chair the Trinity College Foundation. It has been a great honour to serve the community which has been so great to our family.
During this time Helen had the job of raising the children, supporting me with my work, and whilst managing this, was Professor and head of the Graduate School of Management at UniSA, from which she retired in 2011.
All of our 4 children attended Trinity College Gawler and received an excellent education. Olivia went on to do Engineering at Adelaide University, graduating with first class honours and subsequently winning a General Sir John Monash Scholarship to study global warming and Water Management - as the topic for her PhD at Cambridge University. Chris did dentistry at Adelaide University and now has his own thriving practice in Mount Barker. Will did Commerce Law at Adelaide University, graduating with first class honours and won the University Medal. He works for Amex in Sydney and is in charge of risk Management in the Asia Pacific region. Ellie, our youngest, did Health Sciences at Adelaide University and is completing her Masters in Occupational therapy this year; hoping, at last, to be employed next year.
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