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n I was working alongside Joe on a Christmas period public<br />
holiday and it was busy – very busy. I became aware that<br />
Joe had been tied up with one case for a long time. A father<br />
had brought his two drug addicted sons to the ED trying<br />
desperately to get them some help. Joe had called around<br />
detox facilities until he found them places. I still don’t know<br />
how he did it over the holiday season. It must have been<br />
persuasive. It didn’t end there. When the shift was over, Joe<br />
drove them to the detox centre and saw them safely admitted.<br />
1I was sitting at my desk feeling a bit demoralised. I had just<br />
received a ‘constructive’ feedback letter about the first research<br />
paper that I had submitted to an international journal. I felt that<br />
all my effort had come to nothing and really doubted that my<br />
move into research would work out. Joe gently encouraged me<br />
to revise the manuscript and reminded me that the world would<br />
not end if that journal rejected it – there were other journals!<br />
I followed his advice and the revision was accepted.<br />
My first international research publication. Neither<br />
of us knew where it would take me.<br />
n Joe, I wish you a happy,<br />
interesting retirement.<br />
Judging from my experience<br />
you will be kept busy!<br />
The encouragement<br />
and initiative you gave<br />
to the formation of the<br />
International Federation for<br />
Emergency Medicine must<br />
be recorded: you always<br />
gave great support to your<br />
colleagues from abroad.<br />
I wear the Australian College<br />
tie you gave me with pride,<br />
particularly when I visit my<br />
daughter in Adelaide.<br />
Major General Norman<br />
Kirby | a past president<br />
of the British Association<br />
of Emergency Medicine<br />
1Joe was always a scary prospect for candidates at<br />
exams. He looked so stern and distinguished. As chair<br />
of the primary exam committee I got to see him in<br />
action. More than once I saw a candidate struggling –<br />
some even close to tears – with Joe coaxing them to<br />
continue, occasionally with tissue box at the ready.<br />
He was always professional, fair and ethical. He believed<br />
that it was his responsibility as examiner to make his<br />
assessment based on evidence; in other words, to find out by<br />
encouraging but probing questioning what candidates DID<br />
know rather than judge them hastily. More often than not,<br />
to their great surprise, these candidates were successful.<br />
And we won’t mention the time he walked off with<br />
the exam timer’s bell and caused chaos!<br />
Anne-Maree Kelly | emergency physician<br />
and academic, Western Health<br />
21
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