George Owe-Young
30 April 1944 - 5 April 2013
General Surgeon
George was born in China in 1944. His parents migrated to Australia when George was a small boy. The couple struggled financially but managed to raise seven children, four of whom were born in Australia. George died on 5 April 2013 aged 68 years.
Education:
Secondary education at University High School Parkville
1971 MBBS at Melbourne University
1978 Fellow Royal Australian College of Surgeons
Employment History:
1971 Resident at the Western Hospital
1972 Senior Medical Officer at the Western Hospital
1973 Orthopaedics/Plastics Registrar at Western Hospital
1974-1979 Surgical Registrar at Repatriation General Hospital
1979-1985 Casualty Director/Deputy Medical Director at Moorabbin Hospital
1981 General Surgeon 1st Australian Surgical Team to Cambodia on secondment to International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
1985 to 2001 VMO Swan hill and District hospital and Kerang and District hospital
1991 to 2001 Member of the Board of Management, Swan Hill and District hospital
2002 to 2013 Locum general surgeon to various hospitals in Victoria, South Australia, NSW and Queensland.
George Owe-Young practised over a wide range of General Surgery and was an extremely capable all round general surgeon in the traditional sense. He provided an on call Surgical emergency service to the Swan Hill and District Hospital and the Mallee region on a one in two basis for some 17 years.
George embraced procedures, many of which are generally now considered the province the sub -specialist. This included many orthopaedic procedures including internal fixation of most fractures. He was very interested in teaching, and in the process helped train many Resident Medical Officers rotating from St Vincent's hospital in Melbourne at the of beginning their surgical careers.
He was totally committed to his work and devoted to the care of his patients and was held in very high regard by all of his colleagues and the people of the region of Northern Victoria. His contribution to surgery as a practising Rural Surgeon was immense and his sudden passing shocked everyone who knew him.
His interests included his family and learning. He possessed an enquiring mind and avidly read numerous scientific and current affairs magazines . He had an impressive general knowledge of world affairs and history as well as of surgery. He trained as a pilot and held an unrestricted license to fly small planes and towards the end of his career successfully completed a Master of Science Degree in Chinese Herbal Medicine at the University of Melbourne
He is survived by his three children Daniel, Kate and Paul.
He will be sadly missed.
Obituary provided by David Freedman FRACS.