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And um and now we move on to the Dennis Brown Gold Award. Um And for that, I'm going to first ask Desmond Brown to uh come and say a few words first. Uh before we do the presentation to as a notch melting. Well, your second barrister of the afternoon uh as uh reminded us this morning, uh this November will be uh 70 years since my father chaired at the first official meeting of your association. He was not a natural committee man by all accounts, but charity did. And the following year, uh the first Dennis Brown gold medal was awarded to the distinguished American cardiologist, uh Robert Edward Gross. It's now 56 years since my father died in 1967. The passage of time makes all the more precious uh for my sisters and myself, the links which the association has preserved with our family in recent years. I've been delighted to present the medal at conferences up and down uh the UK as well as remotely during COVID. The imaginative choice of flanders for this year's conference inevitably turns one's thoughts uh to those who fought in these fields uh in the first World War. And one of those was my father. Perhaps we can have the first slide or do I need to press something. Dennis was the second eldest of four brothers who grew up in a row, oral property in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, Australia twice rejected conscription uh during the first World War, which makes it the more impressive that all four brothers volunteered to serve my father after qualifying in medicine at Sydney University joined the fabled light horse uh as a regimental medical officer. Uh and from 1915 onwards saw service first in the Dardanelles. Uh and then in France and Belgium, it's not escaped me. That today's medal winner also saw military service on the frontline before coming to the UK. But the circumstances really could hardly be more different after graduating in medicine in Baghdad. In 1973 Azad National Mauldin joined the Kurdish resistance battling of Saddam Hussein. Two years later, by all accounts, he trekked over snowcapped peaks uh to reach the UK. In the memorable words of his nominations, he arrived with nothing but his enthusiasm. Now it may well be that one can deduce something about Dennis Brown, the pediatric surgeon from considering his wartime experiences. Uh and those of his brothers uh this enchanting photograph there is a member of the family, I say so myself shows my father in the middle, above him, his eldest brother uh and then uh to the left uh the youngest Sylvester Vessey and to the right, uh, Roderick, uh, a, uh, boy in a boy, girl, twin, my half sister now, age 93 recently told me that she thought my father's interest in helping Children to a better life was very much the product of his inability to help adults, uh, in the murderous climate of the trenches. The first of the four brands to see Axion was Roderick. I'm pressing the green button if you can move on the slide at the desk, that would be wonderful. They're uh that, that is Ulich, the very oldest who got as far as the pyramids but never got onto the Gallipoli Peninsula because he was injured in training, Roderick. Uh is there. Uh He, as I say was the first of the four to see Axion. Uh the second youngest, he joined the Light Horse. The fifth Light Horse is a trooper in Brisbane and he died on Gallipoli in June 1915. Just after his 21st birthday, he was a member of a light horse squadron ordered at just a few hours notice to distract the Turks while the British made yet another attempt to break out from the southern bridgehead at Cape Ellie's where they've been pinned down ever since April security for what was planned was so tight that the Royal Navy offshore appeared to have been left in the dark about what was going to happen. That's when they saw firing up on the cliffs at the southern end of the ANZAC lines. They assumed it was the Turks uh and destroyer open shellfire. An account written that night by the Light Horse commanding officer uh which is now in the war memorial museum in Canberra reveals that the first of the three navies shells alone killed four and wounded 16. The carnage was more than the stretcher bearers could manage and compelled the unfortunate Australians to hang on for a further two hours before they were able to withdraw all the time under heavy shellfire. Uh This their commanding officer dryly reported created quote, the rather large number of casualties which under other circumstances could have been avoided. Rodricks mother was assured by his troop captain that he'd been buried after being shot and died without any suffering. It's clear from the letter, uh that she wrote, giving the news to Rodricks twin sister that she found this a great consolation, but regrettably ones forced to the conclusion that what she was told can only have been a white lie and that in truth, Roderick was the victim of friendly shellfire since he is the only one of his troops killed that day with no known grave. The news of his death didn't reach my grandfather till August 1915. He'd been gold prospecting in the Queensland Outback and he died in his sleep the night. He got the news at the time of Rodricks death. Uh My father was on a troop ship headed for Egypt. Where those of you who have seen Peter Wales film Gallipoli will know the light horse camped with their horses at the foot of the pyramids. On the voyage across the Indian bite. The Australians encountered a nighttime storm which in the letter to his parents in July 1915, my father said had left the ship knee deep in water and the horse boxes smashed to rescue a man with a broken leg. My father needed to face the wind on deck which was strong enough. He said to strip his lips back from his teeth. In the following daylight, horses and men needed to be buried at sea and the young bugler broke down in the middle of the last post. My father was on the peninsula for three months from mid July 1915. The photograph you have at the moment is of is commissioned as a young captain, just qualified in medicine. Uh and uh joining uh the uh light horse in Melbourne. I can't tell whether when he landed on Gallipoli, he knew of Rodricks death the previous month, the records show that in early November, he was admitted to hospital, my father and invalid off the peninsula suffering from enteric fever like so very many others. On the third of January 1916, he embarked for three months changed and by mid February was back in Melbourne. This proved sadly to be the last time he saw his mother though she survived until 1945 in May. He was back on ship for Suez uh on the way to the song for much of his early time in France. My father was in casualty clearing stations at the beginning of March 1917. He came out of the line after what he told his mother had been a pretty sticky patch. He was only dugout seven ft by four ft by four ft with what he said were plenty of inducements to keep inside. The same week. He wrote to his mother. It appears that he encountered the future poet laureate uh John Masefield who invited him to tea and then to stay to dinner that evening, may feel perceptively wrote to his wife that his guest was quite a very clever shrewd and well read young man and may come to something if this accursed war spares him. Doubtless. It was his encounter with Mace Field which encouraged my father to turn his mind to poetry. And in June 1917, Mace Field congratulated the newly promoted major on a recently composed sonnet, quite some of the lines not to ask you to compare them with Owen or so soon. But to give some idea, to provide some idea of the impact, unsurprisingly, a lifelong impact of the European War on a 25 year old Australian flattened in the mud. There lies to undead, blackened and torn the prey of things that creep long. He has laid a melancholy thing clutched by the greedy earth that forms his bed. And in the trammell's of his nightmares, sleep stairs at the sky, despairing, uh questioning such thoughts obviously linger in the mind uh for the rest of a man's lifetime. At about the time the sonnet was composed, there was brought into my father's dressing station, uh a university contemporary from Sydney who'd also read medicine. The young man had been at the front a mere five days when, as he was treating a wounded man, a shell burst directly on his primitive surgery, uh killing his patient outright and shredding both his legs. The doctor was uh the uncle of the future art critic Robert Hughes and his father was the lord mayor of Sydney. Sir Thomas, my father preserved the very end of his life. The letter he'd received from the bereaved parents, thanking him for his goodness to their dear son in his hour of need poignantly, they confided in all to him. Uh that in all their sorrow, it was the only comfort to them that he had had a university friend to ease. They said his few remaining hours. That's my father after Gallipoli. Uh and I think taken in Australia between Gallipoli and returning to France. I come now to uh Sylvester known as Vessey, the fourth and youngest of the four brown brothers who left Australia, encouraged by an uncle in Melbourne uh to join the Irish Guards. He was wounded twice. Uh first in February 1917 and then again at the start of the Battle of Passion Dale on the ninth of October. That year, 13 guards officers took part in the latter attack at Hood Hulst, barely 20 minutes from where we are today. Five were killed. Every one of the remainder were injured. Three days letter later, Vessey wrote in pencil to my father to describe what he called a very narrow escape. I was sniped. He said from the flank while we were digging in at our final objective, the bullet cut my lanyard took both stars off my shoulders. That photograph I think has only got one star. By this time, he got to and cut the string of his identity disc, taking a piece clean out of his neck. I thought he said a pill box that hit me. The letter lamented that his injury would now delay his promotion to captain but said nothing of the gallantry which led to him receiving the military cross kipling who after the death of his son in the Irish guards rate their regimental history commented that such an attack quotes carried out under the wings of death. Leave few historians. My father left France in July 1918 to work in the third Australian General Hospital in Dartford on being de mobbed the following year. In order to do his Frcs in England, he promised in writing to return to Australia. Uh once it was complete I only know this from the records online in the Canberra archives since the promise seems to have been ignored or at any rate forgotten. And my father never saw his native land again until 1965 when he was elected an honorary fellow of the Royal Australasian College. After these words prompted by our proximity to the battlefields of Flanders. It's now my privilege, my great privilege to present the Dennis Brown gold medal for 2023 to Assad now Jamaluddin because um this is it a great, okay. Uh I don't know, I haven't really seen one of these before, but there's a slogan on the back which I've always find. Uh Thank you. What's your thank you. Can I have my uh slides, please? Thank you very much, Mr Edison Brown. Uh I apologize. I don't know your name and I'm very privileged to have a senior to meet you today and deeply honored for being the recipient of this year's magnificent Dennis Brown's medal. At this point. I would like to thank Babs uh and Babs committee as well as my nominator. Uh Navid and Bruce uh and surgeons from Leeds uh for their support, which led to this selection. Receiving a worldwide contribution award means one has to reflect upon the past. Uh Desmond Brown said I was born in Kurdistan town that, that is the little city in the front of that high snow covered mountain. It started very well. Thanks to my lovely family, as well as the older sister who had the second mother to me. I studied medicine in Baghdad University. And uh that university was built in 1227 1 of the oldest in the world, but the new medical school who was founded uh by Harry since Stone, who became the first dean of the college in 1927. Um As you see, uh as a teenager, I was James Dean and uh Elvis fan. Uh the hairstyle was a bit difficult because it wasn't curly, but I just couldn't get it out, but I managed to uh turn up the uh collars easily. I was the student union leader for about three years. Hence, you could see me, we were receiving a medal on that year for the basketball as well as the netball Hennes. I'm studying one side now has been said as a newly qualified doctor, barely qualified, I joined the Kurdish system in 74 where I lived in bunkers and uh caves, uh sometimes among livestock to keep warm when it was harsh weather infested with fleas, scratching myself, covering with DDD powder. Only to realize 20 years later, the biggest cause of cancer in every part of your body. But I'm 73 nearly. I haven't got one, so I should be okay carrying out an amputation with the battlefield. I remember one day a young man came to my bunker which is only five m away. Had his handkerchief tied around his blasted limb with bits of tissue dangling down, obviously stopping himself from bleeding to death. And all I have the very basic instruments and loads of morphine, uh 20 mg IV morphine into his other arm. And I started amputating the reason being because we're already radioed, you cannot move out of that place for another seven days because of the snow and there were no road. Of course, you had to go on the foot and the back of mule. So my choice was very easy. You have to amputate. Otherwise the man will die from gangrene. So he asked me apologize with my mind if you smoke while I'm doing the operation with one hand, he's smoking while I am cutting almost a high in court to amputation. And every now and then we were lucky to get to their remote villages used to get Cesarean section under local anesthetic with dead babies. Unfortunately, images because they couldn't possibly get anywhere uh fast enough and lots of laboratories for perforation from injuries, etcetera. But the worst of all where the Children who were burned with nay palms or fragments of uh bombs because you couldn't give them morphine and otherwise they stopped breathing and you couldn't give them local anesthetic because there's no way. So the only way you could control them is for one or two parents to tie the poor chap among the legs and arms while you're trying to do what you can do anyway, the activities, unfortunately, I had to be stopped. Once again, the Kurds were sold and were used as a bargaining chip between the regional and super regional powers. So we were told you have to stop. I fled to Iran. So you may see that three line. I'd probably be either number two or number three in the back, the snow. We're coming to your knees. But eventually you reached Iran. And from there, I made my way with loads of help to Tehran and the nearest embassy I found was the British embassy there. And then I got my adoption papers to get to the United Kingdom which I did in 75. Now, in those days, I felt overwhelmed. I felt how lucky the people were in the sweet part of the world. I often wondered in those days whether they will do anything and everything in their power to maintain their values, the way of living. And I hope we do. Now, the surgical trainees used to have a tough competition. 120 hours work was normal change of post hospital accommodation. Research average 12, 14, 15, 16 years of training. Even with that, some had to sideline, some had to go elsewhere also have to give up medicine completely. I remember the Russian with one biscuit and one bag of tea if you're good enough to carry out the entire days of operating list, of course, with a consultant nor by yourself and, and if you run a clinic and, but we needed more than one bag and that's why we used to hang it and dry it and reuse the three or four times as an event. That is true. Actually that is, is Southampton General Hospital picture. Mhm. And I remember as an NSAID. Sure, I went for my final FRS years and the hospital manager, we're, we're no manager. It was uh grizzly be any lady who told me that if I don't pass, I'll have to work extra two weeks in return for your study leave and you have to pay your traveling expenses back. But of course, I didn't need to do with that. And also remember I had to do the highest surgical trainee training for that for my MS degree as that's way that was only because I applied for so many job and so many of them were turned down. I just got fed up in those days. So I may be still is you take two years out of work uh to do your research and spend more than 80 grand if not 100 grand to give you a degree. But I said I will have to prove them wrong. I could do it my way. No supervisor, no title. I found it. And of course, I have a few friends like yourself who tell me what to do or not to do. And I paid for laboratory bench for my own pocket materials, etcetera. And I submitted my nearly 206. Well, it is 268. I can just read it uh page thesis within 14 months. And that was an expensive waking up at three o'clock in the morning, every weekend, always all their annual leaves for 14 months, poor wise and poor Children. As Southampton University was kind enough to accept it without a question though. when you question, asked to say, actually, it's too big. You should have applied for a higher degree than that. But I was very pleased with it from that great place, Fantino into another great place, children's hospital in Melbourne there. I thought I had experience with research. So I'm going to have a go within one year to take a phd. I did my research into the circle, admire to me and uh replacement finished all the work, but only then I went to university and ask whether they will accept my proposition. And they asked first in advanced $23,000 as a fee for who were very is in charge, etcetera. And I obviously had to turn back because that was two third of my annual thyroid at that time. And besides, I had a job at least to come back to and the family were desperate to come back to England. So I gave it up with all those hard work, the junior doctors we used to and I know many of you sitting here today. Remember we still had, we still had a great time. We acquired vast experiences. We had very strong comrade uh comradeship, family gathering, meeting here and there and loads and loads of funds. Definitely every Friday and Saturday evenings, disco and the doctors mess. One half of the junior is dis going while the other half is covering. And the following day, the other way around, I always chose Friday because I knew I will still be served by 12 o'clock. Now, the idea of a minimal invasive surgery dawn on me when I was a registrar, I was, I was inspired by Neil Freeman. He used to stick a conventional cystoscope and babies tell me where they were suspected with peritonitis of any sort and particularly anything to see whether there is a true peritonitis or more. So you could avoid a laparotomy. And that is inspired me. I managed to convince a locum uh consultant Ian Gullo to allow me and his supervision and, and and mercy to carry out laproscopy. So I did a series of laproscopic. We call a laparoscopic assisted a pen dissect a me. When Mr Atwell came out of the hospital, he threaten as not to publish it because that is not the way you should do something new or something different. So we decided not to. And uh from there when I went to Melbourne, we I did lend my limited experience to Hawk down who had a treasure trove of all the instruments and equipments you need, but no experience. So I was the experience man. But of course he was in charge. We carried out a decent series of infant and children's laproscopy while I was there for 18 months. But it's a true struggle of developing uh minimally invasive surgery was as a consultant appointed in Leeds in 92. At that time, there were a few else where they were one in Germany, two in France. Very well. Remember there was one in Australia as I left and there was one in the United States America. Great United States America had one at that time independently. They all want to develop the technique, the difficulties where were amazing anti change tied against you. That was the worst part. Beside unlike lucky adult surgeons who had plenty of money, plenty of facilities, private practice, allow them or encourage them to do something. So enticing we were having small number of patient. We were having one operation is only about a kilo, another operation, about 10 kg and other operations, about 90 kg, all sorts of condition. And then again, more difficulty with reconstructive surgery rather than extractive when you just remove tissues like the adults, it did in those days, gallbladder's or even tumor's. But I was very, very lucky. And like some of my colleagues elsewhere in the world, I was very lucky because I had the support of my colleague in the hospital. At the same time, the senior manager, which is almost unheard of elsewhere for pediatric surgery. And, um, something like 10 years later, I had 23 start again this time because you want to introduce something new different. It's called robotic surgery. And not because I was fed up with, uh, or lost because I have already a reasonably well off onto the minimally invasive surgery. And that was a re robotic because I was really, really convinced that that is the future of surgery. But this time I had experience, I knew how to find the system better. I raised the money before I told anybody. And the second thing I did the workshop for the senior manager of the hospital and his charitable trustees to come and see, not a doctor, not a surgeon. But I invited one professor who was almost retired who at that time was a dean of the medical school to show. Then, then the charity people agree to give 1.2 million. And the senior manager near Mackay, he, he was chief executive. They said, go ahead as odd and that's how we start that. I didn't realize the difficulty which is waiting around the corner with adult surgeon. This time, the moment I told them how to use and share with me this treasure trove. They started plotting and planning, convincing their senior manager how to take a robot out of pediatric surgeon because they only do a handful of cases. What is pediatric surgery? We could make money in prostate and liver and bowel cancer, etcetera, etcetera. It reached to a point when I had to tie the robot to the anesthetic machine. And I was told by the senior manager, I said as a, you cannot do that. That's against the rule because of the fire or something happened. You are responsible for it only then I had to endure the padlock. But I said you could only move this machine on my dead body. And that was the only reason they allowed it to continue in pediatric surgery. But of course, I'm as loads of married awards. I'm has loads of other opportunities at the personal level. What I succeeded with what I wanted. Well, at least for my colleagues and friends who followed now disseminating skills during the early days of the arthroscopy was very, very important. So they uh setting up a teaching course was invaluable. And soon many people on this crowd joined the rank and became comrade in all. And I of course, fell the safety in numbers. I learned from adult surgeon. And so we established the babes and uh that was even more gathering of similar and alike individuals. And some years later SPS the European group to do a similar task with it. We modify technique. We introduced few new things, diligent, prospective, ordered to convince everybody, particularly the donors that you are actually a safe person publications. And of course, teaching and training and I had the privilege of moving around 46 country maybe more. And uh it was a pleasure, what else we did? We did looked, we had lots of fun. Of course, we're not just working and thinking and fighting and then defending the patch. We were uh enjoying ourselves as well as I look back at my short 50 years. Only then I'd realize how little I could have done without the wonderful people around me. And the privilege to have the meeting of so many great people, young and senior work with or even serve across literally everywhere. Five you call it or six continents. And um naturally, I couldn't have done anything without being adopted by, they're my country. The UK, I cannot name everybody today, unfortunately, but I could name few and I hope I haven't forgotten. Uh Some of you are sitting here first, the Southampton Surgeon for introducing me into best profession in the world, pediatric surgery and one hematologist, scientists who pitied me for not having a supervisor. So he taught me how to actually carry out the actual experiment, particularly when he saw me. He used to come at 7 30 in the morning while the lights were already on. And as I was already at work before he goes to his clinical work, so he was terribly helpful. And of course, Melbourne's children's hospitals, surgeons, and then some individuals I cannot possibly forget Hamish Macdonald, the clinical director who was actually in the, in the interview panel on I was appointed in lease, I did say I only want to come here to develop minimally invasive surgery and you say I will march you on that and I demand something of that sort. And some years later, he became a chairman of the charitable trustee and he's the one who secured the money so forever. I'm in Destiny. Um David Johnson and Neil Mackay, they were there was chief executive of the hospital and they were very, very supportive, very unusual. And Edwards if was the letter chairman of the charity, he donated the second robot where we needed a replacement some several years later. And civil stores who forget that lady who send a gift within two weeks on my arrival to Leeds. And that was a full set of laproscopy natural with unconditional and for many, many years of supporting our courses, executives of those association and the lads from the workshop, some of them are sitting in the front here. Now, I couldn't possibly have done what I did without them, pediatric surgeon, of course, and leads managers there. Any statist, pediatricians and of course, the registrars, I hope I haven't forgotten everybody, but I do realize I've seen a few faces I have, but some of them gave me great idea, encouragements, supporting, etcetera, etcetera. Secretaries couldn't have done without them. But my patience and carers, carers, they were the one they trusted me. And no matter what I said, in terms of the new technique, yet another new technique here and that, you know, nobody say no, nobody said no. My Children, Oliver Matilda and Lydia, like for their tolerance and forgiveness primarily today, I'll take this amazing award on their behalf. It's not mine. It's there's and finally thank you perhaps once again for affirming that I did something right some time ago. And of course, thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, for sparing your time and listening to me for the past 10 or maybe even 12 minutes. Thank you. Mhm. Mhm A very hard act to follow. But there is just one more little award we'd like to give and we always seem to forget about this one. So uh this is to Kirsty Brennan. I don't know how many people have actually seen it. So if we go to the next slide, maybe I can do it. I don't know how many I've seen the uh the Baps medal for outstanding achievement at exams. Uh but that's what it looks like. It's right here. Um I'm hopeful that Kirsty is here and I'd like to represent this to Kirsty Brennan for being an outstanding candidate back in 2019. But obviously, due to lots of things such as COVID, we've not been able to get together and do this properly. So Kirsty Brennan, uh congratulations, come and get your award as always is the case we overrun on this session. So.
