AMAV VICDOC Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 87
A L EGACY OF CO M M U N I T Y CA R E
“HELLO VANESSA!” THIS IS HOW DR STEWART
BOOTH ANSWERS THE PHONE WHEN I CALL HIM,
RIGHT ON TIME, JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE
HIS PASSING.
-
He tells me he’s had a “pretty good
innings” and is keen to chat and share
a few thoughts on the state of rural
healthcare before he goes. Even though
he’s a bit breathless and becomes tired
as we talk, he’s chipper, and I get a
sense of the man who fell in love
with a community and way of life.
Stewart grew up in Pascoe Vale,
Melbourne, and was the first medical
person in his family. He had an older
cousin who had severe polio, which
inspired his interest in care and his
ambition to improve healthcare for
people from an early age.
He graduated from Melbourne
University in 1976, became a fellow of
the College of General Practitioners in
1980 and was further recognised when
he became a Fellow of the College of
Rural & Remote Medicine in 1998.
At medical school, he enjoyed all his
rotations but settled on being a procedural
GP as it meant you got to talk to people,
and you got to do a bit of everything.
“I decided the best solution was to go
to a medium-sized country town where
you could do all these things. I thought
I'd better get some obstetrics training
first – which I was a bit scared of, if I’m
honest – so I did a six-month term at
the Royal Women's.”
Given he went on to serve as honorary
director of obstetrics at Swan Hill
District Health and delivered dozens of
babies – including many by caesarean –
this detail is as surprising as it is sweet.
It’s also testament to his dedication and
determination to serve the Swan Hill
community as best he could. And his best
turned out to be rather outstanding.
He first settled in Sea Lake, a singledoctor town some 70 kilometres west of
Swan Hill. It’s wheat belt country, and
he admired its farmers (many who were
veterans) greatly. He was able to develop
his skills in surgery, anaesthetics and
obstetrics here.
“At first, I’d travel to Swan Hill
with patients I’d referred, and assist
the physician or surgeon to perform a
procedure. I was keen to be trained up
and they were keen to train me up, and
eventually it got to the point where they
were assisting me.”
Stewart also met his wife, Gaye,
in Sea Lake. Together they have seven
children (four from Gaye’s previous
marriage and three from Stewart’s)
and 23 grandchildren.
After Sea Lake came Swan Hill itself,
where Stewart lived from 1994 until his
death on 23 January 2024.
Stewart was appointed as visiting
medical officer at Swan Hill District
Health in 1994. He was a GP at Swan
Hill Medical Group and served as
honorary director of obstetrics at Swan
Hill District Health until July 2011,
showcasing his expertise in the field of
obstetrics and delivering many babies
during his long career. He also provided
his services as a GP anaesthetist, making
himself available all hours to support
emergency care needs as they arose.
Stewart went into semi-retirement in
2023 and planned to fully retire in 2024.
He was looking forward to spending
more time with his wife Gaye and their
family, and to focusing on his health.
VI CD O C WI NTER 2024
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