Life Flight co-founder and surgeon saved countless lives
Dr Russell Worth was a life saver, both as a gifted neurosurgeon and as one of the founders of Life Flight. If a teacher at school had had his way, however, Worth would not have become a doctor. The teacher told him he was “not smart enough” to study medicine.
A talented neurosurgeon, Worth died in December, aged 85.
Known as someone who was always willing to help those in need of life-saving medical care, patients were always his first priority. That was certainly the case in 1992, when Life Flight was celebrating its 10th anniversary with a dinner. Worth was about to be presented with a plaque, to mark his contribution, when a call came in about an injured Blenheim baby.
Worth, as he did thousands of times in his work with Life Flight and in his career as a neurosurgeon, responded immediately and left the dinner.
Although the Rongotai-based rescue service is now very much part of Wellington, 50 years ago it did not exist.
The seeds of what became a highly successful rescue service go back to a chance meeting between Worth and helicopter pilot Peter Button at a Hataitai School fair in 1975. Worth was on the school committee, busily raising funds for a hall, and had the idea of setting up a classroom like the inside of a plane.
It was the beginning of a friendship that changed the way emergency medical care was delivered in Wellington.
Button established Capital Helicopters in 1975 and the following year, Button and Worth set up the Capital Helicopter Trust, New Zealand’s first rescue helicopter service.
The trust evolved into the Life Flight Trust Air Ambulance Service, which Worth chaired for 10 years and served a further 17 as medical director.
Worth understood the importance of getting seriously injured or ill people to hospital as quickly as possible. His involvement was not as a passive chairman, he flew hundreds of flights with Button, providing expert medical care to those in need.
One can only imagine the surprise someone with a broken leg in the Tararuas got when the rescue chopper winched down a highly regarded brain surgeon.
Button’s interest in a rescue helicopter service came from watching survivors struggle to get ashore during the Wahine disaster in 1968.
Russell John Worth was born in Auckland on September 22, 1938. He grew up in Matamata where his father, James, was a school teacher and his mother, Rose, was a theatre nurse.
Although he had always wanted to study medicine, he took an apprenticeship as a pharmaceutical chemist in Hamilton after a teacher told him he had no future as a doctor. While he was working as a chemist, he met a local woman, Beryl Brinkworth, who became his wife and staunch supporter.
After receiving the Parke-Davis Award for being the second best pharmaceutical student in New Zealand, Worth decided to follow his dream and become a doctor.
His interest in neurosurgery was sparked by Dr Anthony James, a leading neurosurgeon and teacher at the Otago Medical School. James mentored Worth and encouraged him to study the brain.
After graduating from Otago University in 1965, he spent three years as a surgical registrar at Waikato Hospital. From 1969 to 1971, he was a neurosurgical registrar at Wellington Hospital. Spells at Edinburgh, Hull and Adelaide hospitals followed before returning to Wellington, in 1974, as a senior registrar and later a consultant.
From 1995 to 1996, he was the director of trauma at Wellington Hospital.
In 1982, with help from banker Bill Day and businessman Sir Mark Dunajtschik, Worth and Button formed what is today the Life Flight Trust.
Although the story of his life is filled with success, it is also a story that has some tragedy.
In November 1987 his great mate, Peter Button, was killed, along with wellknown photographer Ron Woolf and property developer Dion Savage, when his helicopter got too close to power lines in Churton Park.
Police had called Button to assist in tracking Peter Carr, an offender who had escaped from Rimutaka Prison.
Rather than let the tragedy put him off helicopters, Worth became more involved in Life Flight.
The second tragedy came on September 4, 1996, on what was otherwise a routine day. He later recalled that his memory was blank after pushing a button to catch a lift.
Staggering and incoherent, his medical colleagues immediately knew something was dreadfully wrong. The intensive care machinery he used daily to keep his patients alive proved his life saver.
Worth had suffered a massive stroke and spent months in hospital. It would take him two years to learn to walk and he had to learn to speak and read again.
Although he had to resign from his position with Wellington Hospital, he remained committed to Life Flight and was a revered figure in the organisation until his death.
A memorial service was held in Russell Worth Hangar, where one of the speakers was Simon Woolf, the son of Ronald, who was killed in the 1987 helicopter crash.
“He was a remarkable man who was very wise and very, very focused and very dedicated to neuroscience,” he said.
As a doctor he had a natural empathy for his patients, both in hospital and those he encountered at Life Flight.
“He went above and beyond for people and had an incredible work ethic.”
His friendship with Button was the key to the establishment of Life Flight.
“There was real chemistry between him and Peter Button. They were more like brothers and were tremendously close and aligned on what they wanted to achieve.”
Another key player in setting up Life Flight was Day. Involved in marketing with what was then the Commercial Bank of Australia, he provided the initial grant which lead to Westpac’s long involvement. Day would later become a trustee and is still involved with Life Flight. He admits that when he first met Worth he was “awestruck” by his reputation.
“I was just a marketing chap. He was a medical chap from the hospital and was a neurosurgeon... I was hugely impressed with Russell.”
They formed a strong bond and Worth assisted Day in his endeavours, helping to raise money. “Russell was always the star act when it came to fundraising. He was just so knowledgeable and passionate about what he did.”
Day credits Worth with taking Life Flight from having one helicopter to creating what is now an organisation that has three air ambulances, and which does everything from transferring premature babies needing specialist medical care to police search and rescue.
What impressed Day the most was Worth’s willingness to do just about anything. As well as flying in the rescue chopper, he would winch down to injured fishermen on boats, and helped design and build specialist medical gear.
Adapting the incubators needed for tiny babies, developing loading gear and sharing his medical expertise, Day said Worth would take on anything for the benefit of Life Flight.
“He was a workaholic and totally committed to working for his patients.”
Speaking at his memorial service, Day said that the deaths of Button, Woolf and Savage were tragic, but some good had come out of the tragedy.
“Out of that terrible, terrible disaster Life Flight grew and grew strongly.”
Having Worth as chair was the key to its growth and he laid a platform that has seen the organisation prosper in the years since. It was unfortunate that Worth subsequently suffered such a devastating stroke. Day noted that Worth remained a trustee for many years and continued to take an interest in the organisation he had co-founded.
Two years ago, Worth and Beryl visited Life Flight and Day was able to show him around. As the chair of the Wellington Hospital Foundation, Day had helped purchase a flight simulator of their air ambulance planes.
It was clear that Worth really enjoyed the visit and the big smile on his face showed that he understood the importance of being able to train doctors and nurses on the simulator.
Beryl said life was not easy after he suffered a stroke that in 99% of cases would have been fatal.
Worth was relatively young when it struck and she said it was unfortunate that his grandchildren did not know him before the stroke.
“He was a kind and caring person, he was just born that way.”
Worth enjoyed flying and made an effort to get a pilot’s licence. There were never enough hours in his day to complete it, but he was made an honorary Wing Commander in the RNZAF in 1984 and a member of the Aerospace Medical Association in 1989. The following year he gained his diploma in aviation medicine from Otago University.
Among the many tributes was one from former radio personality Lindsay Yeo:
“Life simply isn’t fair. It robs us of great men like Russell and subjects his family and friends to years of sorrow. Beryl, your dedication, devotion and support for Russell was extraordinary... we know it wasn’t easy...you are a hero. Russell was an interesting, gentle man with a quirky sense of humour.”
Jeff Safey recalled working with Worth. “As a young man in the early 1980s I worked in the Wellington Hospital operating theatre as an anaesthetic technician... Every day I got to see surgeons like Mr Worth perform miracles and save people’s lives.”
Nicky Plant was also a colleague. “I was privileged to work closely with Russell in the trauma service at Wellington Hospital and have great memories of him as a kind, wise and intelligent soul, who went out of his way to care for people.”
A number of people like Doug credited Worth with saving their lives.
“Mr Worth saved my life in 1978. He removed glass and bone from my brain and he had the debris made into a paperweight. Very humble, caring man.”
Worth is survived by Beryl and three sons, Michael, Andrew and Stephen.