Dr Elder and wife Norma intend to stay in Scone, with Dr Elder looking            forward to more golf.

Their three children live in the Hunter.

“I will miss the involvement of a very busy little hospital and conversation with colleagues and staff,” Dr Elder said.

Graduating from the University of Otago in 1964 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, he recalled being at a dinner party in Sydney where his friend, the late Dr Walter Pye, suggested there was a job for him in Scone.

“I have always lived in country towns in New Zealand where my father was a school teacher,” he said, “and it appeals to me now to stay.”

“I enjoyed doing quite a bit of surgery, the variety of work, obstetrics, orthopaedic, general surgery,” he said.

“I have helped maintain a good medical service in Scone, particularly in obstetrics by providing caesars, which is important - for example people from small country towns in Western Australia may have to go away and spend three months in Perth (ahead of a caesar).

“Caesars are usually performed within 40 minutes from the time a decision is made, it takes a lot longer to get to Newcastle or Maitland,” Dr Elder said.

 “An important thing for me was maintaining country hospital services and in the early 1980s there was a lot of political pressure to downgrade country hospitals, Scone was at the forefront in maintaining country service but it was 70 beds then and it is about 25 now.

“In the early days most emergencies were dealt with here, now it’s ambulance retrieval and people are taken further for major emergencies, but we still do caesars, among other surgeries.”

Injuries from falls from horses, quads and trail bikes were not uncommon.

Among technological changes, Dr Elder said the advent of endoscopic         surgery was significant for Scone.

He said a big issue was changes in insurance which made it difficult to           justify surgery in a small town.

“I almost had to retire in 1982 when medical liability insurance went from $10,000 to $50,000,” he said.

Dr Elder said community fund-raising for the hospital had always been, and would remain, vital.

He said two private hospitals were built, in 1830 and 1860, from local            funding, and the current hospital was built in 1912 from local funds.

Looking back through the remarkable hand-written record of surgeries performed by Dr Walter Pye, Dr Elder reflected that the hospital was once as busy offering diverse services on the same scale that Royal Prince Alfred does in Sydney, with similar equipment and facilities.

Dr Pye performed more than 400 surgeries.

Colleagues pay tribute

Leading Upper Hunter doctors Richard Abbott and Peter McInerney paid tribute to the contribution made by long-time colleague Dr Jim Elder.

Dr Abbott said Dr Elder provided amazing service to the community over many years.

“As a very competent surgeon he was always available, playing a major role in obstetrics over many years as well as other major surgery when needed,” Dr Abbott said.

“He was one of the old style surgeons, a very versatile general surgeon whereas now people tend to specialise. 

“He provided a 24/7 service, he was always very approachable and helpful and gave great service to the town.”

Dr McInerney said Dr Elder had delivered a lot of local people by caesarian section.

“I would say he was a true rural surgeon, with a very broad base of skills, you basically don’t see the likes of him these days,” he said.

“He could really do a lot of surgery and he was always available at short notice, providing an excellent emergency service over the years.

“He was always sympathetic to patient risk and the requirements of anaesthetists. 

From my perspective he was a very neat and careful surgeon.

“I think above all, he was respected and trusted by his patients and he had a strong following,” Dr McInerney said.

Dr McInerney specialises in obstetrics, anaesthetics, endoscopy, vasectomy, aviation medicals and emergency medicine.

Dr Abbott specialises in anaesthetics, skin cancer surgery and emergency medicine.