 Greetings……..
A Forward from the President, Mr Denis Wilkins
Resisting further prevarication, consciousness intrudes, prevails and breaks through the snug warmth of a sleepy bed. The spatter of rain on the windows heralds a bleak, dark, winter morning in Cornwall. The curtains are pulled to reveal wind driven skeins of rain drifting across already sodden fields. “Ah well”, I remark, “Not on call, so it looks like a relaxing day indoors”.
“Just remember, one man’s refuge is another man’s prison,” she replies somewhat darkly. “Don’t tell me; a paperwork day, shut up in the study,” she mumbles. “Got it in one!” I reply with forced cheerfulness. “A note about the Edinburgh Meeting for the website is in order, I think”. This provokes a yawned response and muffled “So what’s new?” “ Going well, I think, Mrs President. Nick Gair told us that we had billions of hits on the website and a record number of papers submitted. When we did the selection just before Xmas the quality was excellent and the electronic submission and marking worked superbly. Our young folk are frighteningly bright – I can’t even understand half the titles”.
“Hmm!”
“Also, tied down the last of the Tuesday afternoon courses yesterday and, although I say it myself, they look pretty impressive. Writing medical reports, refereeing papers, video editing and PowerPoint techniques, ultrasound and foam for the pundits treating varicose veins, cell biology for the bemused, leadership theory (this receives a derisory snort) and the serious stuff, wine tasting master-classes (another snort). All top class faculty, of course, truly groundbreaking stuff”.
“Well, I hope that lots of your colleagues come,” says herself, “And the rest?”
“Well, Wednesday is given over to a mixture of scientific papers plus some plenaries. The Scottish Minister of Health and CMO will open the meeting, John Monson and David Rowley will be informative and controversial, I am sure. SARS have put together a great symposium that is not just for the eggheads, but will be topical and of general interest. Reznick was superb on training last year and he is coming back again, and, after the Moynihan Travelling Fellow’s lecture and AGM, we really must have a ‘hot topic’ debate to follow on from the great session we had last year in Glasgow about the way the surgical profession is being driven by the wretched NHS and politicians. Roger Dyson, health economist, will be making an appearance here, and I want this session to inform and provide some solutions rather than just leave it all in the air”.
“Then we pile off for drinks hosted by our Corporate Patrons and I hope that the societies, clubs and exhibitors will have their get togethers on that evening so that we can have a full attendance at the Association’s Annual Dinner on the Thursday. Impressed?”
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