Michael Hooper
Well, finally, here is a potted history of my life since NSBH which is tame compared to exploits of others. I have enjoyed reading about the varied incidents and stories of teachers and comrades...amazed at the detail remembered. Looking back over the last 40 years I feel I have had a pretty good life and can't complain too much.
Right now I remain happily married to Jenny who has organised my life for more than 30 years and have 2 great children both married. Anthony the youngest at 28 who having done science and currently working in a genetics lab will go back to university next year to become a teacher. Belinda, an Electrical Engineer living in San Francisco where she is working with the American Red Cross, is also changing career paths to 'change management'. They are still great companions. At the beginning of this year Anthony and I spent 3 weeks on an archaeological dig in northern Jordan and then backpacked around Syria and I always look forward to grabbing the opportunity to spend time with Belinda when I am travelling overseas..
I must have enjoyed myself for I don't have any bad memories of my five years at NSBH even though I received "six of the best" on several occasions. The first occasion, when I was in 1C, was for playing two up or pennies.... being dobbed in by a chap who gambled away his fathers stamp collection. I recall the fun we had launching fruit scraps and garbage over the Great Hall into the main quadrangle to rain down on a bewildered teacher, of smoke bombs and just 'mucking up'. As a fairly shy bloke, I made no impression in sporting achievements (should I own up to representing the school in chess) and my early academic reports were only fair but picked up and I managed to get into Sydney Uni with a Commonwealth Scholarship and acquire a medical degree. .
Then followed Internship, Residency, Registrar and Endocrine Fellow days at Royal North Shore Hospital...amazingly enjoyed despite long working hours punctuated by nights in the Mess and Mess dinners. We then went off to Western Infirmary in Glasgow for three years of further Endocrine training taking the opportunity to travel around Europe. Despite the miserable weather in Glasgow they were happy days and we retain good friends there.
On our return we headed for Adelaide where we stayed for 8 years at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the University of Adelaide. We have been back in Sydney for 16 years or more and currently I am Head of the Bone and Mineral Stream for Central Sydney Area Health Service, Head of Endocrinology at Concord Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor at Sydney University. This provides a good mix of clinical work, teaching, some research and part time private practice but I look forward to handing over the administrative load in the near future.
So some forty years after NSBHS with a variety of recollections I look forward to the reunion and renewing old friendships.