Dr Grant Dickson

Dr Grant Dickson began working as an ear, nose and throat surgeon in Toowoomba in 1957, following in his father’s footsteps.

In 1965, he joined the board of St Andrew’s Hospital as one of its first members and became involved in many of the early decisions that would shape the Hospital’s future. He contributed to discussions about location, planning, capacity and governance at a time when almost every aspect of the project was still being determined. His recollections describe a Board made up of strong personalities, lively debate and a shared commitment to creating a new hospital for the region.

“We had some great times, and we all worked hard getting the Hospital off the ground. One board member, Don King, arranged for pine trees to be planted around the building, and another – an engineer called Ken Munro – designed a special ramp that would assist ambulance drivers in unloading patients.”

Even before St Andrew’s opened, he recalls some early teething problems.

“There were some difficulties getting the right number of beds into the hospital. When the wardrobes were fitted, we realised they took up too much space, and what on the original plan were tw-bed wards became reduced to one-bed wards.”

A lifelong connection

Dr Dickson’s connection to St Andrew’s extended well beyond its opening and he remained on the board until 1985. In fact, he filmed the opening day celebrations himself with his 8mm colour movie camera.

Not long afterwards, one of his ear, nose and throat patients became among the first people formally admitted to the Hospital. His memories highlight the strong sense of camaraderie among the Hospital’s early leaders.

As one of the doctors whose concerns about bed shortages helped spark the creation of St Andrew’s, Dr Grant Dickson holds a special place in the Hospital’s history. He was involved before the first brick was laid and remained a valued part of the St Andrew’s community long afterwards.