Just reward for medical marvel

By Rebecca Codey

GPCAPT Bill Griggs assists six-year-old Putriska who was flown to Medan to undergo surgery for serious burns suffered as a result of the tsunami in Banda Aceh.

Photo by CPL Darren Hilder

AIR Force specialist reserve doctor Group Captain Bill Griggs has earned his place in the history books.

He has tended to victims of the Bali bombings and Boxing Day tsunami, flown countless aero-medical evacuations in and around Australia and invented a medical device that has saved lives.

Group Captain Griggs, a world-renowned authority on trauma medicine and one of Australia’s leading intensive care, anaesthetics and medical retrieval specialists, can now add Australian of the Year 2006 finalist to his list of achievements.

Having dedicated his adult life to helping others — generally in the most tragic of circumstances — the Adelaide doctor has been privy to the extremes of human emotion.

But he has never been more stunned than when he was announced South Australia’s finalist for the prestigious Australia Day award. Days after the announcement in early December, he was still struggling to comprehend his accolade.

“I am honoured, but it really is difficult to believe,” said the 48-year-old husband and father of two. “I can say one of the really important things about being an Australian of the Year finalist is that it’s not just about me...”

“My name has come out of the hat, but this is something that a very large number of other people can share in the recognition of.”

He credits the many people he has worked alongside, including the volunteers with St John Ambulance, colleagues from the SA Ambulance Service, Royal Adelaide Hospital intensive care retrieval system and in particular, his Australian Defence Force comrades.

“Not just the doctors, nurses and medics, but everyone involved in the work the ADF does — from the airfield defence guards to the aircrews and those responsible for the logistics.

“And I’m talking about people from all three Services because the ADF medical environment in particular is tri-Service. They are all vitally important.”

Group Captain Griggs began his career as a St John Ambulance volunteer and worked as an ambulance officer with the SA Ambulance Service before graduating from medicine in 1980.

He joined the Air Force Reserves in 1988 and as well as being involved in many aero-medical evacuations and various domestic exercises and operations, Group Captain Griggs has been deployed to disaster zones and on peacekeeping missions internationally.

He served in the Gulf War and played a vital role in ADF operations in East Timor, Bougainville, Banda Aceh and Bali.

In the civilian world he is Director of the Trauma Service at Royal Adelaide Hospital.

“In our line of work people talk about the next big thing,” he said. “After the tsunami, I don’t want to see a bigger event.”

Group Captain Griggs, who maintains his volunteer status with St John and continues to work for the SA Ambulance Service, thrives not only on the hands-on practice of medicine that his civilian and military roles provide him, but the opportunity to act as mentor and teacher.

Group Captain Griggs will travel to Canberra for the Australia Day announcement in January.

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