Quiet achiever bringing hope in Africa through foundation
UNHERALDED, humble souls who do marvellous deeds for humanity abound in the Toowoomba region.
I said hello to a passer-by, and later he contacted me to tell of his clinical works in Africa.
His name is Dr Geoff Kelsey, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, and he was born in Toowoomba, grew up in Dalby and attended Downlands College.
He studied medicine at the University of Queensland and on graduation unsuccessfully applied for a volunteer post in either Sudan or Nigeria.
Instead he trained at the Royal Brisbane Hospital then at hospitals in Kettering and Leicester, England and finished in Adelaide.
In 1983 he entered private practice in Toowoomba and Dalby public (1986-2001).
You can take the boy out of Dalby but you can’t take Dalby out of the boy!
Geoff’s earlier failure to secure volunteer work remained with him, and at age 60 he revisited his bucket list and came across one Dr Andrew Browning of the Barbara May Foundation (BMF), a world leading obstetric fistula surgeon and protégé of Dr Catherine Hamlin.
Geoff sent an email to Dr Browning and received an instant response, “Come over, and I’ll find a job for you!”
Barbara May (Browning) was the mother of legendary nurse Valerie Browning (“Maalika” – meaning Queen in Ethiopia) and grandmother of Andrew.
She lived an altruistic life, placing little value on material possessions and always looked to improve the lives of others.
After her death, the foundation was established to honour her and to support the work of Valerie and Andrew in maternal healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.
They provide free access to maternal health professionals with the focus of BMF-funded programs aimed at safer childbirth and delivery of live babies with healthy mothers not injured during childbirth, particularly from an “obstetric fistula” which is a dreadful injury caused by obstructed labour.
In the developed world fistulas are prevented by caesarean section.
Unless operated on, women with fistulas become outcasts even from their own families.
From 2011 to 2020, Geoff, enthusiastically supported by his wife Pam, worked in Tanzania and Ethiopia for a month a year performing surgery and delivering healthy babies in poor rural communities, plus training local health staff.
Geoff has been appointed a BMF Ambassador.
To raise funds and honour the valuable works of Valerie, Andrew, Geoff and numerous volunteers, a special dinner has being organised, with Andrew as guest speaker, at Customs House in Brisbane on Thursday, September 23, starting at 6.30pm.
It would be wonderful if we could have a large representation from the Toowoomba region attend to pay tribute to our local heroes.
PLEASE BOOK AT HTTPS:// WWW.TRYBOOKING.COM/BOOK/SESSIONS? EID=785937 OR CONTACT GEOFF ON MOBILE 0408 717 829 OR EMAIL GEOFF@GPKELSEY.COM.AU