Preparation for our customary quinquennial reunion commenced in January. On 24th November 2018, 27 of our year (plus 15 partners) gathered together to reminisce the 30 years since undergraduate qualification. Particularly impressive was the effort made by Tony Hill to travel all the way from Tasmania!
Events kicked off with a tour around the Dental Hospital on
the Saturday morning, which Ken Marshall very generously offered to host. Almost
uniquely amongst British Dental Schools, BDH remains on its original site.
However, although the front façade remains relatively unchanged, it has been
extended and extensively modified, such that it was almost unrecognisable from
the building we trained in. In fact, we spent a fair amount of time trying to
recall the 1980s layout! The clinical areas are vastly expanded to accommodate
larger year intakes, the library has been replaced by a computer room and all
students now have the benefit of using microscopes for endodontics – no wonder
we found it so difficult back then! Ken’s “surgery design” in Cons has stood
the test of time though and it was good to hear that so many of the people who
taught us are still associated with the school in one way or another.
The main event was a black-tie dinner at Hotel du Vin. There
was much catching up during the champagne reception followed by an enjoyable
meal. It is fair to say that everyone has worn fairly well and also mellowed
over the years. We have collectively followed quite diverse career pathways, but
most of us are still practicing dentistry in some shape or form and there was
genuine interest in what everyone is now doing. Chris Stephens kindly spoke
after dinner and although not said literally, it was clear that BDH continues
to benefit from the generosity and commitment of many of the people who taught
us and no doubt their successors. It was therefore appropriate that the £850
raised from the event was donated to BDH.
Needless to say, the evening continued well into the night. We
will definitely do this again in 2023!
We are sad to report the death of Jennie Williams (neé Ellis-Jones), former wife of Richard Joy.
Jennie graduated BDS Bristol in 1964; the only student in the year to gain an honours degree and spent many years practising orthodontics in Bob Russell’s practice in Frome. She died on 24th December 2018 following a long illness and is survived by 3 daughters.
A memorial service will be held in Saltford Parish Church on 23rd January at 2pm.
Reunions are more enjoyable as one gets older. No longer does one have to listen to how wonderful everyone else’s children are doing at school, university, or the City and can relax and talk about former shared times. While most dental school have alumni associations their reunions take a variety of forms. As far as I am aware in the UK there are only two reunions of formerdental staff. There is our own which meets every couple of months now centred on the Shakespeare pub in Redland. It is not exclusive to former Bristol dental staff and graduates are welcome. The other is theEmbryo Club which meets twice yearly in Whitehall London and is of much older vintage having been established in in the late 1940s by notable Guys Dental staff.
Whilst Embryo Club lunches are not exclusive to Guys alumni it is rather old fashioned in that joining is by invitation only and it has only been agreed in the past few months to admit women! (It was after all only 1948 that the Guys Dental School admitted women to the dental course whereas in enlightened Bristol we had done so from 1909; the first woman to qualify in dentistry being Marjorie White in 1915).
But I digress. Having become a new member of the said Embryo club (don’t ask about the origins of the name it is a long story) I found myself in the august company of my former teachers, notably Jack Rowe Professor of Conservative Dentistry and later Dean of the School, now in his 90s. He had been taught by David Robinson who had qualified 4 years before him in 1944. This was the era of “see one do one teach one” where promising students on qualification were invited to join the staff as part time demonstrators. DavidRobinson had by this time become a part-time lecturer and was busy building up his practice in south London which Jack Rowe soon joined in 1949. In 1965, the year in which I qualified, Jack completed his MDS, the first Guy’s graduate to do so, and was appointed to a full time senior lecturer post there.This left left a vacancy in David Robinson’s practice which my wife and I were invited to join.
Another member of the Embryo Club present at my first lunch was BruceRobinson, who I remembered as an 11 year old while I was working at his father’s practice. Very recently Bruce, who turned out to be the third generation of dentist in his family, presented me with a photograph of his grandfather’s year of qualification in 1924. As this was from Bristol he pointed out that my arrival at Bristol in 1971 had completed the Robinson “teaching circle”.
Some of the other names of those who qualified in 1924 can be arrived at by searching early Dentists Registers. Almost all of those who I have identified had taken the LDS Bristol or the LDSRCS (Eng) for although the BDS (UBrist) had been established in 1909 in order to become a BDS student one had to have matriculated which was still a rarity at that time. It is intriguing to realise that the Class of 1924 would have been taught, among others,
by George Fawn who finally retired in 1947. His
eponymous prize in Childrens’ Dentistry is still awarded today. George had been the first to qualify with the BDS
Bristol in 1912. However this was not
the first Bristol BDS degree to be awarded. That honour goes jointly to Messrs
Kelsey and Lennox who a year earlier had been examined by Sir Charles Tomes the
then external. However both had achieved the licentiate of one of the Royal
Colleges several years before; Kelsey obtained the LDS RCPS Glasgow in 1898 and
Lennox the LDSRCS England in 1903. William Lennox would remain on the school
staff until 1941.
But who then is the much older suited
gentleman in the back row of the photograph? At first I had assumed that he was
one of the class’ teachers but why only one when there were at least three
clinical teachers by this time? More likely it is William Herbert Phillips who
had qualified LDSRCS (Eng) in 1898 in
the days before one needed a dental qualification to practise. He then seems to
have been moved, like others of that generation, to obtain the LDS Bristol in 1924. He was
still practising in Paignton in 1954.
REFERENCES
Saunders CJG.
The University of Bristol Dental School and Hospital. University of
Bristol, 1964
Saunders CJG. The United Bristol Hospitals. Board of
the United Bristol Hospitals, 1965
Smith GM.
A history of the Bristol Royal Infirmary. J W Arrowsmith Ltd., Bristol. 1917
Stephens CD. A
history of the University of Bristol Dental School and its site. Bristol Dental
Alumni Association. 2010. ISBN 978-0-9549861-5-5
Stoy PJ. The Bristol Dental School
1874-1940. British Dental Journal 1947, 82: 141-142
Many of us will remember Arthur Darling’s loud enquiry, more of a command, usually coming from one of the lecture theatres or from the Histopath lab on Wednesday mornings. Derek patiently played the dental “Jeeves” to Arthur, always patient, helpful and competent. Since his retirement several years ago Derek has been living in Hereford but still visits his sister in Bristol occasionally where it was my good luck to run into him. (It is one of the pleasures of retirement to run into former colleagues). Derek was just the same though like may of us feeling the effects of anno domini. He told me he now has two mobility scooters; one for daily use and the other for Grand Prix events. Great to meet up Derek!
We are very sad to report that Alun, our old friend and colleague, died on 27th June at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, following a stroke. He died peacefully with family at his bedside.
Alun was born on 29th June 1928 in Pontypridd, South Wales. He attended the local grammar school where he excelled in studies and sports. He became head boy and played for his very successful school rugby team.
He did his National Service in the Royal Navy and in 1947 came to Bristol to study dentistry. He continued to enjoy rugby and played for the University team. He remained throughout his life an enthusiastic supporter of Pontypridd and Wales rugby.
After graduation, and until he retired, he ran a successful NHS practice in Bristol – he was an extremely proud and staunch supporter of the NHS. In the 1980s he joined a small group of young graduates in promoting alumni reunions – and he carried on to serve our BDAA as Treasurer for over 30 years.
He married Bett while still a student and henceforth his family became the central part of his life. They had three daughters and a son, and over the years 15 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren were added to the family.. His dear wife died in 2014 and, as his own health deteriorated, his daughters and grandchildren gave him wonderful support at home.. He was much loved and will be greatly missed.
Following a graduation ceremony in the Great Hall of the Wills Memorial building on the morning of 17th July, 2 prizes were awarded by Ken Marshall, on behalf of the BDAA to the following BDS students at a ceremony in the Biomedical Sciences building.
BDAA Elective Prize
Miss Caroline Clarke and Miss Nicola Harvey
For their study: Does watching videos of OSCE stations as part of revision have the potential for improving student performance in the OSCE examination in second year dental students?
BDAA Research Prize
Miss Wendy McLaren
For her study: A cross-sectional observational study to assess the working posture of clinical dental students at Bristol Dental Hospital
Friday 15th June was the day all students dream about: the day they receive news that they have passed their final exams. Traditionally it is a day when representatives of DDU, Dental Protection and Wesleyan offer hospitality to the students and recruit them. This year, for the first time, the BDAA was there, represented by Ken Marshall and Reg Andlaw, also offering refreshment and trying to recruit. As well as the students and staff who gathered in the courtyard behind the Chapter House were a few of the Hannover party who had been guests from the 9th June. One of them was Professor Husametin Gunay whom we were both pleased to meet again, but particularly Ken Marshall who set up the Hannover Exchange way back in 1973and must derive great satisfaction seeing it remain so successful. The BDAA has supported the Hannover Exchange since 2005.
Photo shows, Reg Andlaw, Husametin Gunay & Ken Marshall
Dental students Liz Hollis and Natasha Parmar asked whether we would help out with expenses after they had a poster display accepted for presentation at the May meeting of the British Society of Oral Medicine in Dundee. We were only too happy to help as they would have been unable to attend without financial support and they reported back with a message of thanks which can be read here.
The photograph shows Liz (centre) and Natasha (R) in front of their display together with supervisor, Dr Rachel Cowie.
It is with regret we have to report the death of Bob Izon.
Bob (BDS Bristol 1966) died on Sunday 1st April. He suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for many years, which he bore with great strength and fortitude. A Memorial Service will be held at St Paul’s Church, Hereford HR1 1RT on Wednesday 18th April at 2.00pm.
