This weekend, probably with a glass of chardonnay in his hand, Dr Stu Gowland will make the transition into his retirement. We are sad to see him leave, but we are delighted he and Suzie can enjoy their retirement.
Stu was well known as the driving force behind establishing the mobile surgical bus, but this is only one of his achievements. He has practiced urology around the world, he helped establish Urology Associates in Christchurch, and he started the mobile lithotripsy service. Stu was also a central figure in the health reforms at Christchurch Hospital in the 1990’s. Stu has always been a passionate champion for rural health, we are sure this will continue in some form in the future.
We think he is best summed up by the word “Inimitable”, meaning to be so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy. Dr Phil Bagshaw, Stu’s good friend and medical peer says, “Stu defies description, really. A friend once told me that everybody has a word to describe them. For me, Stu’s word would be “inimitable”. I’m sure he’s a complete one-off.”
On behalf of our team thank you Stu, farewell, haere rā!