I was a "Nasho" in 1972 and I served at 1 Field Hospital as the RMO when they returned from Vietnam, beginning May of that year. I was seconded to 1 Mil Hospital, Ingleburn, where my CO was Lt Col Daryl Salmon. It's good to see he's still alive and kicking! After the change of government in November, 1972, I left the army and worked at St Vincent's as a senior RMO. My first term in 1973 was a secondment to Liverpool Hospital, where I again bumped into Dr Salmon in the operating theatres. He was doing some civilian Anaesthetist work there at the time. I also worked at Liverpool Hospital in 1974, this time as a Surgical Registrar, seconded from Sydney Hospital. I recall that the Maternity Ward was often full of soldier's wives and babies from the nearby Holsworthy Camp (5RAR, I think). I also remember the "On Call" bedroom for RMOs at Liverpool that was situated only metres from the Sydney-Melbourne train line. Good trains would fly past at unearthly hours, meaning sleep was hard to come by! I don't regret my time in the army, as I was married in that year and had some spare time to think about my career. Some of the stimulus to become a plastic surgeon was what I witnessed in the army. Lest We Forget... Emeritus Assoc Prof David Pennington, FRCS(Ed),FRACS
