When Alec was a support worker in theatres at Singleton,he asked me how to get onto the Operating Department Practitioners course. After some encouragement from me, he applied and was accepted. A month or so later we were in my garden, being the generous person he was he had offered to hep me move some furniture. We were chatting about this and that, and how he had followed the girl he wanted to marry, half way round the world ( Australia ) quite the romantic was Alec. Then he told me he thought he’d made a mistake, as he was struggling with his first assignment, designing a Theatre department and discussing the equipment. I said just write what you know and see every day, then asked what he was finding hard and he said explaining the anaesthetic machine, as he didn’t understand the workings. I told him he did and said break it down to…
1 what is it for …. keeping people alive and asleep
2how does it do this ….gasses and fluids and pumping oxygen
3 what does it monitor…heart beat, oxygen and blood pressure
He said, it can’t be as simple as that . I told him just do basics and most importantly, “Don’t worry about it “
He asked a few more questions to which I responded “Don’t worry about it “ He continued until both of us repeated “Don’t worry about it “
Fast forward to one of the last times I saw him , in a pub, in the Uplands. We had a good old chat and he said, “Ian you gave me the best piece of advice I ever had, years when I was training, I genuinely mean this, my lovely (the last two words need to be spoken in a broad West Country accent ) We both said in unison “ DONT WORRY ABOUT IT “ as we fell about laughing .
By the way that assignment was passed, and Alec’s design was used as an example for new students for the next few years.
I count myself blessed to have met such a genuine, kind, generous and loving man, who was both a friend and colleague.
Comments