Tarragal Glen Retirement Village held a celebratory lunch on Saturday 17th June to honour resident Dr. Brian Shaw, who has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The respected doctor has earned the award for services to palliative care, having been the founding Medical Director at Central Coast Palliative Care Service.
After graduating from medicine in 1960 and specialising as an anaesthetist at Gosford Hospital for 15 years, he attended a meeting at which palliative care was mentioned, and a seed was sown.
“I suggested we should set up palliative care on the Central Coast and the board at the hospital were very good – they found the money and we got the thing started,” Brian said.
He was appointed head of the team, and worked with a group of nurses helping countless families find comfort in extremely difficult times.
“We had a holistic system of caring for the pain, nausea and vomiting, and helping patients and their families with relationships,” Brian said.
“It was a very exciting time in my life, and while I moved on after 15 years, palliative care still continues on the coast.”
Unwaveringly humble, Brian said being awarded an OAM was a chance to increase awareness even further.
“It is a great honour, but also another opportunity to educate the community that palliative care is important,” he said.
Elizabeth Richards, a neighbour at Tarragal Glen, organised the celebrations, at which fellow residents and ex-colleagues attended.
“We were all thrilled Brian agreed to celebrate as he is such a lovely and modest man,” Elizabeth said.
“We have such a close little community here.”
