Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to notify the House of the death of Dr Bruce Shepherd AM, orthopaedic surgeon, past present of the New South Wales AMA and the federal AMA, 1991 Father of the Year, founder of the Australian Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons and founder of the Australian Doctors' Fund. Most of all, Dr Shepherd will be remembered, with his wife, Annette, as the founder of the Shepherd Centre, at Sydney University, following the birth of their two children, Penny and Danny, with profound sensory neural deafness. The centre was started in 1970, following extensive investigation overseas of the best treatment for children with severe hearing loss. Subsequently, under the guidance of Bruce Shepherd, the Shepherd Centre promoted universal neonatal hearing screening for all Australian children, did pioneering work with the cochlear implant and developed world's best practice for the early intervention program for children with hearing loss.

Bruce Shepherd was a warrior in the cause of medical independence and fought a huge battle with the Hawke government, and specifically Dr Neal Blewett, the health minister, over the introduction of Medicare and payments for specialists who worked in the public hospital system. Bruce Shepherd always gave his best in every situation and will be remembered with gratitude by his friends, patients, colleagues and the many thousands of deaf children and their families. Vale Bruce Shepherd.

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