Farewell Dr Dave

Dr David Smith and his wife Louise are saying goodbye to Rainbow Beach

Dr David Smith and his wife Louise are saying goodbye to Rainbow Beach

by Michelle Gilmore

Dr David Smith arrived in Rainbow Beach in 2008, and after a huge amount of study he is specialising in skin cancer medicine. To do that, he will have to move away! Hopefully, he’ll still find another beach to fish on at dawn.

Dave said there is no turning back and he is quite excited about his future prospects, “I have a choice of skin cancer medicine clinics at Chermside, Redcliffe, Noosa and Kalangour. It isn’t often at 65 that opportunities like this arrive and I intend to go for it.

“There was a huge load of skin cancer pathology when I arrived. I did not want to see my older patients having to travel to get these lesions treated so I started doing skin cancer courses.

He developed an interest in dermoscopy and early diagnosis of melanoma, and started a doctoral degree in skin cancer medicine though UQ.

But there are quite a few things that he will miss: “The beautiful deserted beach early in the morning. The beach fishing, with patience there can be rewards. The swim in the surf. The kites that follow my fishing exploits like children, waiting for scraps.”

“The locals have been really good to me and I hope I have repaid them by faithful service.”

Our town has been lucky to have you and your lovely wife Louise here for as long as we did. Dave – thanks for all your wonderful care of our family and our residents! You will be missed.

Dr Peter Martin from the Cooloola Coast Clinic said, “We wish to thank David for his dedicated, caring and skilled work.  He has provided a valuable service when times were tough, and we had a major doctor shortage. We wish you all the very best, David.”

When David leaves in January, his place will be taken by several Tin Can Bay doctors visiting Rainbow Beach. The opening hours will be reduced initially to all day Monday,  Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, reflecting a significantly reduced workload, as we will be servicing Rainbow Beach residents and tourists only.

The practice is endeavouring to recruit another doctor who will be based in Tin Can Bay, but will visit Rainbow Beach as well.  When the Rainbow Beach Practice is unattended patients can be seen at Cooloola Coast Clinic where their medical records are kept on a common data file.

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