Kevin Fuller's Eulogy

Opening

Kevin Fuller was a quiet man. He didn't talk much about himself or his achievements.

Family History

Looking in retrospect at his life, we can detect the genesis of a strong sense of public duty. Kevin was born in Maitland on 3 January 1932. He was an only child. His father, Charles Fuller, was a schoolteacher and policeman's son. His mother, Heather was a policeman's daughter. Kevin learnt early that his father's public duty as a school teacher meant sacrifice in the form of regularly moving house and saying goodbye to whatever friends he had.

Professional life

Kevin's strong sense of public duty saw him make many personal sacrifices to pursue a career in medicine. This meant overseas training in England with a young family and no money. He decided to specialise in orthopaedic surgery and in particular in the very demanding sub specialty of paediatric orthopaedics. Only those who have practised this sub specialty understand the stress that comes from nailing up busted children at all hours of the night. Kevin did this for over 30 years.

What's more, he provided this service 2 1/2 days a week for no charge as an honorary surgeon at the Prince of Wales Children's Hospital, Sydney, from 1965-1993 and after that as an honorary consultant. He never lost interest in sick kids. Kevin demanded much of himself and his family in fulfilling what he saw as his public duty; 19 consecutive Christmases were spent on call at the Prince of Wales Children's hospital. His wife, Mary Lou, took numerous phone calls at all hours as he moved between the Prince of Wales and other hospitals he visited including Auburn Public Hospital. Lisa, Anne Marie and Michael caught glimpses of their father as he came and went; a familiar story for many doctor's children of that era. This was the generation the market researchers call "The Builders". They were determined in post war Australia to create public hospitals that would produce world-class medical treatment. They gave it everything they had developing operative techniques and procedures and travelling all over the world to learn as much as they could. Today we take hip and knee replacements for granted. We are the beneficiaries of their hard work.

Kevin's love for children ran deep. To help a young patient come to grips with his injuries Kevin bandaged the little patient's favourite Teddy bear and treated both child and bear with equal intensity. Yes, the original "Bandaged Bear". In holidays, Kevin worked for the "Flying Doctor Service" and also undertook humanitarian work in Indonesia with the charity "Care". To subsidise his honorary work at the Children's hospital, Kevin had to build and maintain a private practice in the other 2½ days of the week. His financial prudence and self-discipline drove a cautious investment strategy and steadily built security for his young family. He believed in scrupulous honesty in financial matters and demanded the same of those he dealt with. The virtues of honesty, integrity, reliability and punctuality were inculcated into his character.

In his later years, Kevin summoned great self-discipline to save his own life as he recovered from a quadruple heart bypass operation with complications. For months he walked a fragile line between life and death. The late and famous Prof Fred Hollows (a colleague of Kevin's at Prince of Wales) once told me that Kevin was an "expletive walking miracle". In the face of uncertainty that would have caused many men to give up, Kevin went forward with courage and optimism keeping up his regular fishing expeditions and taking his wife on his many travel adventures. His illness made him more determined to live life to the fullest.

Married life

During his teenage years, due to his father's work, Kevin ended up at a selective high school in Wollongong. He was a school prefect with a reputation for achievement in athletics, matched by astounding good looks (which his wedding photo confirms). One of his many female admirers was a 14-year-old student and policeman's daughter by the name of Mary Louise Hutton (aka Mary Lou). They developed a crush on each other, which later became a full-blooded love affair when Kevin (some years later) heading for the beach bumped into Mary Lou on New Years Eve 1952-1953 as she left the Commercial Bank in Wollongong. 6 months later on 25 June 1953 they were married in St Michaels Church, Wollongong. The bond between them (though tested by the pressures of Kevin's medical career and the tragedy of losing their eldest child and only son, Michael, in a car accident on the way to his engagement party) never weakened. In 2003 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in grand style complete with the renewal of wedding vows in this church where they have attended for 45 years. All who came along that night will remember that it was a great night, full of fun. Mary Lou was in great form and Kevin enjoyed it thoroughly. A quiet man, Yes; a stuffy man, Never.

Someone once said that the best husband a wife can have is an archaeologist because the older you get, the more interest he takes in you. It was certainly true that Kevin was able to spend more time with his family as he grew older and shed some of his demanding workload. His daughters, Anne Marie and Lisa were very precious to him and came to know him better as more time was available to share and enjoy each other's company. A great source of happiness was the arrival of his football team of grandsons. Michael, Alex, Nicholas & Peter - Boys, your grandfather loved you as much as any grandfather could and he was always there for you. This will make it hard for you because he was not only a grandfather; he was your mate and your friend. Kevin could not have asked for a better son-in-law than Lisa's husband, Wally. Wally loved Kevin as much as he loved his own father. Kevin lost a son but gained a loving son-in-law.

Mary Lou also comments at how close Kevin was to her family, she says her mother adored Kevin and her brother Ralph became the brother Kevin never had. God only knows what would have happened to her if she had married a rival suitor who was a cabinetmaker. (I don't think she would have lived to enjoy the handmade furniture she was dreaming about when Kevin stepped in and decided her matrimonial future.)

His humanity In Kevin's study that I visited just after his death, there are no pictures of boats, cars or motorbikes. It was his family and his favourite dogs that dominated his quiet space. These were to be the dogs that kept vigil over his body when he collapsed and died at Vincentia Beach last Saturday. Although his interests spread across the natural sciences he was particularly proud of his collection of fine art works depicting birds. He loved and admired all living things.

As Young Libs, we derived substantial benefits from Kevin's rural investments and many a romance was fuelled in weekends at "Cardrona", Kevin and Mary Lou's property in Moss Vale. Kevin and Mary Lou were great supporters of the Liberal Party, giving their time and opening their home and hearts to numerous Liberal candidates and Liberal Party members.

Faith without works is dead faith. Kevin had faith in God and loved and cared for all his creations. His work was dedicated to the happiness of children and the welfare of God's creatures. His fun was being in the great outdoors enjoying this wonderful country and exploring its many beauties. He understood that happiness was more than finding pleasure in things; it involved creating happiness in others and for this reason he will be greatly missed.

Thank you God for giving us Kevin and his wonderful selfless life. Well done, thou good and faithful servant; we will miss you but we will never forget you.

STEPHEN MILGATE
FAMILY FRIEND
SATURDAY 27TH DECEMBER 2008