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» In Memoriam » Tomislav Gavranic 1937-2025 Croatian doctor of Aboriginal Health in Australia
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| Tomislav Gavranic 1937-2025 Croatian doctor of Aboriginal Health in Australia |
| By Nenad N. Bach and Darko Žubrinić |
Published
04/3/2025
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Human Rights , People , In Memoriam , Education
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Unrated
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Dedicated to the Aboriginal people, written by Maja Gavranic
Tomislav Gavranic
Remembrance Piece
Written by Mara Gavranic, Australia (daughter of Tomislav Gavranic)
Tomislav Gavranic, Dulcie's loving husband and our Dad, was an amazing man who led an extraordinary life. He was a great doctor and a true healer. There is not enough time to tell you the whole story of Dad so what I am about to share with you is just a glimpse. He worked in a lot of amazing places within Australia and we, as a family had a good life. Dad loved his family and loved both his Croatian and Australian Cultures. He spoke both English and Croatian.
He was a doctor for the people, his main interests were Aboriginal Health, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction and Community Care. Later in life he became interested in the "Low Salt Diet". Dad was born in a small North Queensland town called Tully on Good Friday, the 29 March 1937. He lived close by in El-Arish. He went to the local State School which held up to 80 children which he stated was a wonderful multicultural primary school. He loved it. I have been told that many of the children from this small state school went on to do great things.
His first language was Croatian, but his mother, who never spoke English herself, ensured that Dad learnt to speak perfect English. So homework was the English written word, translated into Croatian and then the answers written back into English. His mother installed in him that "education was salvation". So from a young age Dad had a mind that fed on knowledge.
He never stopped wanting to learn, was always questioning and investigating, trying to figure out the answers. He had an amazing intellect, my husband David once said to me that Dad was one of the most intelligent people he had ever met. Dad was an avid reader of non-fiction books, which was his only hobby outside of walking. He also loved to tell a story and did it in detail! He knew a diverse amount of people from all walks of life.
The family moved to Mona Vale where he finished his primary schooling and then got into North Sydney Boys High. This is where he met his best friend Jim Penfold. Dad told me once that he had an unusual approach to medicine, it was called listening. You needed to listen to what the patient isn't saying. What the patient initially came in for may not be the actual problem.
Someone special described him as a Medical detective. He never let go in finding out what was the cause of a medical problem, he would investigate, research and then he would explain in detail to the patient what was going on. In his Queanbeyan Practice, he had a whole wall which was a blackboard and on this he would write or draw in detail the patients history to discuss it with them.
The reason Dad choose medicine as a career was because of his father experience. The local doctor misdiagnosed his recurring attacks of excruciating abdominal and back pain which
were kidney issues that could have led to his death. This put him on the path to being a patient-orientated doctor one that would truly listen to the person.
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He got into Sydney University on a Commonwealth Scholarship - receiving distinctions and high distinctions. Disaster struck in the shape of TB. He was bedridden in the TB Unit for 6months. Drug therapy continued for a total of 2years. Sadly, he had to miss a whole year of medical school and made the decision not to aim for top marks anymore, but to coast along for a pass at graduation (while playing table-tennis) When he returned to Medical School he just studied enough to pass (but still managed a "credit" in gynaecology!)
He started his medical career as a Resident Medical Officer at Townsville General Hospital which he called a wonderful teaching hospital. Dad loved the tropics and got to experience Aboriginal Australia as the resident doctor on Palm Island including being the visiting doctor to the nearby Fantom Island leprosy Colony.
Dad met mum in Townsville on a blind date set up by my Aunt Marie's mother, Aunt Patty. Mum says it was love at first sight for her and they were married within 12months in mum's home town of Innisfail in 1963. Dad always said he could not have done what he had done without Dulcie as no other woman would have put up with him.
One of his roles was as a Registrar at Townsville Hospital. Here he had extensive experience in structured terms in medicine, TB and chest, obstetrics, psychiatry (including electric shock therapy for depression) and geriatrics. He ended up running the Outpatient and Casualty department and discovered the great value of Social Workers.
A very close family friend who lives in Cairns sent me a beautiful story. "People would come to the outpatients department and ask to see Dr Gavranic, when told that they would have to wait at least 2 to 2 and a half hours their reply would be "that's okay, we will wait" such was Tom's dedication to his job with attention to detail and listening."
He was very passionate, loyal and dedicated to the Aboriginal people which we all know. This was shown in both his private and working life. He was honoured whilst working in Gove to be initiated into the Marika Clan in Yirrkala. His aboriginal family kept in contact and they would come to visit, where many a story was told around a very multicultural table.
In 1974 when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin, he rang and offered his services and the department
put him in charge of re-establishing the Royal Flying Doctor Radio Communication Network. Dad moved to Canberra from the Northern Territory to work in the Whitlam Governments new Health Centre idea at Kippax. He found to his astonishment that Canberra had a large Croatian community, whose social workers were the Croatian Nuns.
He was head hunted to lead the Aboriginal Section of the NSW Health Commission. It was here that he met his tutor in the management of alcoholism, Harold Hunt. At the same time he was part time lecturer in Aboriginal Health at Sydney University as well as being one of the co-founders of the "Manly-Warringah-Pittwater Aboriginal Support Group". Which is still going today.
He worked with the Salvation Army in their Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centre in Canberra which held weekly clinics. He says that there were wonderful and knowledgeable people here who just happened to turn up on his radar.
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At Toora Women's Refuge he was the only male doctor for three years. Dad went into Private Practice out of our home in Weetangera in 1982 and also opened a Bulk Billing Practice in Queanbeyan. Both were Bilingual general practices with special interest in developing AA and AL-ANON as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of alcoholism (which Harold had shown him). This is where he worked in tandem with an Anglican community, dealing with the homeless, and otherwise disadvantaged men (many drug addicted). Dad made a very dear friend here, Fr Michael and to this day he is part of our family.
I always said Dad worked or was on call 24hrs a day, seven days a week. Never hesitating in going on home visits or hospital visits to see his patients. Mum loves to cook and entertain and Dad loved chatting with everyone and telling his stories, it could be a busy weekend sometimes. Surgery on a Saturday morning, home visits straight after and then a good evening meal at night with friends!
In 2004 Dad was awarded an OAM for his commitment to Aboriginal Health, People with alcohol dependency and The Croatian Community. An acknowledgment of all the work he loved and held dear. He was so proud that he had received this. He was nominated by people that respected and really cared for him. Thankyou.
At a Wake in Mareeba Dad was sitting having refreshments and a man by the name of Bob Katter sat down beside him and said "And what do you do mate?" Tom said in his humble way, "I'm just an ordinary GP" Bob leaned over touching his Order of Australia medal in his lapel and said "You don't get one of those for being an ordinary GP, mate".
Dad never thought us kids would get married but we finally did and in the same year of 2007. Then Peter and Emma blessed Dad and mum with 3 beautiful grandchildren, Ryan, Aaron and Ziggy, who Dad loved dearly and would always take walking and tell them his stories when he would see them. Grandparents - Dida and Baba.
Late in life Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This was hard on him, as he knew what was happening, it was sad to watch and very upsetting for us as a family. Mum and I re-read a letter recently which he had written to me in 2017 and in this letter he writes: "It is my view that people with dementia become historians, because they can only remember the past! This was their function when there were no libraries". What a beautiful concept. It is always hard to say Goodbye and it is heartbreaking when it is your husband, your Dad and your Dida.
Goodbye Tom, Goodbye Dad and Goodbye Dida, may you now rest in peace, we hold you in our hearts forever and until we see you again.
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Many thanks to Helen Halford for sending us the article written by Mara Gavranic.
Mr. Tomislav Gavranić was Helen's uncle (i.e., her mother's brother-in-law) Please, go to the next page below.
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