Graham Gordon
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Graham Rothwell Gordon (10 December 1927 – 29 February 2004) was a New Zealand general practitioner and surgeon.


Biography

Gordon was born in Stratford in 1927, the third son of doctors William Patteson Pollock Gordon and Doris Clifton Gordon (née Jolly) who ran a medical practice and the small Marire private hospital in Stratford. His older brother was Peter Gordon. He was educated at
Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand, a feat achieved in part thanks to its original inception as a private school. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it r ...
from 1941 to 1944''Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006'', 6th edition (CD-ROM) and the
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
, from where he graduated MB ChB in 1951. He then trained and worked as a surgeon in the United Kingdom, returning to the family practice in Stratford in October 1957. Gordon was a part-time visiting surgeon at Stratford Hospital from 1957 until 1991 when the theatre closed. He was also committed to the local emergency services, serving as a police surgeon for over 30 years and a
St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is an affiliated movement of charitable organisations in mostly Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries which provide first aid education and consumables and emergency medical services. St John organisations are primari ...
officer. He was an honorary surgeon with the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade, establishing the first rural GP first-response road trauma service in New Zealand, and was active in helicopter
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
work. An executive member of the Taranaki division of the
New Zealand Medical Association The New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) was an association representing some doctors and medical students in New Zealand. It was officially founded after a meeting in April 1886 at Dunedin Hospital. From 1896 to 1967, the NZMA was considered ...
(NZMA) for 19 years, Gordon held the office of secretary and then president. He served as NZMA council chairman from 1977 to 1988, and NZMA president from 1990 to 1991. He was elected a fellow of the NZMA in 1981. In 2000 he received a Stratford District citizen's award. In 1999, Gordon sold his medical practice but retained his involvement in local health issues and patient care until shortly before his death in 2004. He was buried at Kopuatama Cemetery.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Graham 1927 births 2004 deaths People from Stratford, New Zealand People educated at Nelson College University of Otago alumni New Zealand Medical Association Burials at Kopuatama Cemetery 20th-century New Zealand surgeons