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Emeritus Consultants Biographies
Gwynne Brockis was born in Wakefield, England, the son of John Brockis, a local government officer, and a Welsh mother, Aylie Marianne nee Jones. He received his early education at Silcoates, a Yorkshire private ('public') school and then attended Leeds University where he graduated with honours and with multiple prizes in 1942. From 1943 to 1946 he served with the RAMC in the Middle East and Italy. A year as a demonstrator in anatomy at Leeds University followed and thereafter he embarked on a long period of specialist training in Leeds, Newcastle, London and Cardiff. He obtained his FRCS (England) in 1948 and developed an interest in urology. He worked at St Peter's Hospital for Stone and with Professor Leslie Pyrah recognised as a pioneer in presenting surgery and particularly urology as an applied science. Gwynne was of an enquiring mind and this showed in his career as one who liked to work on the frontiers of surgical knowledge. He was appointed to the medical school as Reader in Surgery in 1958 and at the same time joined the surgical staff of the University Department of Surgery at Royal Perth Hospital. By 1962 he started research in animals on renal and hepatic transplantation and this resulted in him leading the team which carried out the first renal transplant in Western Australia in 1968 at Royal Perth Hospital. At that time he began to practice transplantation and urology exclusively and was made an Associate Professor of the University of Western Australia. In the 1970's he took a small team of doctors and scientists to Sumatra to investigate the problems of endemic childhood urolithiasis which found answers to that problem, and in the 1980's introduced to Royal Perth Hospital the use of ultrasound for destruction of kidney stones, a technique which has revolutionised urological practice. He retired in 1984. He was happily married to Muriel nee Maney and they have one son, a dentist practicing in Perth. His hobbies include sailing - being once a keen dinghy yachtsman and with age, sailing larger yachts. He is a radio 'ham' and well known over the air waves. He has been an active member of the Uniting Church over the years. He has written over 50 papers and edited two volumes on Urinary Calculus. He is the author of a book entitled "Scientific Fundamentals of Surgery". After retirement from surgical practice, Gwynne became chairman of the State committee of the Save the Children Fund. He became a National Director and for 6 years served on their National Programme Advisory Committee. He revisited the Padang Hospital in Sumartra and was delighted to find that the dietary advice given 12 years earlier on how to prevent bladder stones forming in infants had resulted in the virtual disappearance of the problem. In 1988 his wife Muriel died suddenly while on a visit to Britain. Later he married Dorothy nee Paterson, a close family friend. Gwynne pursued his knowledge of electronic engineering by attending courses and subsequently ran year long courses for the examinations that Radio amateurs must take to obtain a licence. His activities earned him the accolade from the Wireless Institute as Radio Amateur of the year in 1998. Associated with this interest in 2003 he completed a course for computer technicians. |
