SPORTS PHYSICIAN AND EX-RAAF FLYING DOCTOR

Age: 74 Lives: Darwin

DR GEOFFREY THOMPSON is one of the Northern Territory’s quiet achievers, with a distinguished career as a flying doctor and history of service to sports medicine and the community. Born in rural SA, Geoffrey graduated in medicine before joining the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a flight surgeon and medical officer. In 1974, when Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, he oversaw the RAAF effort to evacuate the city. During the days that followed, he helped assess, treat and evacuate severely injured citizens of Darwin – despite having lost his home and possessions. After leaving the RAAF, he ran general medical clinics in remote Indigenous communities, often using his own plane for transport. As a sports medicine specialist, he was the first president and founding member of Sports Medicine Australia (NT), and since 2008 he has been the chief medical officer for the Australian Paralympic Committee.