Brian Kenneth Hobbs (1937–2004) was a medical doctor in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and chair of

Community Aid Abroad Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organization, and is an affiliate of the Oxfam International confederation. Oxfam Australia's work is divided into four broad categories c ...

. He was prominently involved in Aboriginal health in Australia.

Early life and education

Born to Norman Theodore Hobbs, a market gardener, and Dorothy Ada (née Weedon), a schoolteacher, in

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

, a horticultural community on the outskirts of

, Brian Hobbs attended Campbelltown Primary School and

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

, where he boarded after the family moved to Victor Harbor. Following secondary education, Hobbs attended the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

to study medicine and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.

Career

After graduating from medical school, Hobbs worked and trained in surgery in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. When he returned to Australia, he took up private practice at

Colonel Light Gardens Colonel Light Gardens is a suburb located within the Australian City of Mitcham in the greater Adelaide region, approximately south of the Adelaide city centre. The area is . Planned as a garden suburb, it is known for wide, tree-lined street ...

, spending 26 years as a family GP. Subsequently, he worked for Data Aid and the Aboriginal Health Organisation and as a remote area doctor in central Australia. He retired to

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

and then

Hindmarsh Island Hindmarsh Island (Ngarrindjeri: Kumerangk) is an inland river island located in the lower Murray River near the town of Goolwa, South Australia, Goolwa, South Australia. The island is a tourist destination, which has increased in popularity si ...

Community and development work

In addition to his work as a GP, Hobbs was a co-founder of Medic Alert in Australia and of the

Clovelly Park Clovelly Park is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide in the local government area of the City of Marion. Before becoming an 'advanced' suburb, it was a farm and vineyard. The suburb is bordered by Daws Road to the north, South Road to the eas ...

Community Health Centre in southern Adelaide, and taught at

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

, where he held the roles of Honorary Tutor in Medicine, and Visiting G.P. Hobbs worked for most of his adult life with

and its successor

Oxfam Australia Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organization, and is an affiliate of the Oxfam International confederation. Oxfam Australia's work is divided into four broad categories co ...

, serving as South Australian Chair, National Chair, and Chair of CAA Trading. He was instrumental in convincing then Foreign Minister

Bill Hayden William George Hayden (born 23 January 1933) is an Australian politician who served as the 21st governor-general of Australia from 1989 to 1996. He was Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 1983, and served as ...

to withdraw aid to the Ethiopian government during their 'civil war' with Eritrea, and was a frequent guest on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio and television current affairs programmes, notably "PM" on

Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...

and "Nationwide" on Channel 2. He was also interviewed many times for national and local Australian newspapers, especially "

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

" and " The Advertiser", on foreign aid and development issues. Hobbs was a co-founder of International Development Support Services, a consultancy subsidiary of Oxfam Australia, and is named as a "Visionary Leader" by the Community Aid Alliance. He was also a founding member and President of the Schuss Ski Club, which became the ''de facto'' representative body for snow skiers in

Notes

References

* Susan Blackburn, ''Practical Visionaries: A Study of Community Aid Abroad'', Melbourne Univ Press, (1994). * H. H. Pitt and M. N. Wicks, ''The Pitt Family of Payneham'' (Adelaide, 1977)
''Oxfam News'', May 2004 (Obituary)
* Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television Archives: Nationwide * Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio National Archives: PM Program * Australian Broadcasting Corporation Local Radio Archives: 891 5AN Adelaide Regional Radio Drive Program * News Corporation Archives
Community Aid Alliance
* "The health of young Aborigines: A report on the health of Aborigines aged 12 to 25 years", National Youth Affairs Research Scheme, Australian Government Department of Employment, Education and Training (Hobart: National Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, 1992)

External links