ANZCA Bulletin June 2011 - Australian and New Zealand College of ...

Obituary
Dr Johann Colin-Thomé
1961 – 2011
Our much loved friend and colleague,
Johann Colin-Thomé, died peacefully
in the palliative care unit at Austin
Hospital, Melbourne, on February 28.
In late 2007, he had become unwell and
was subsequently diagnosed with an
inoperable brain tumour. We will always
remember the manner in which he dealt
with this dreadful confrontation, his
strength, his tenacity, his dignity and
above all his courage.
One of us (David Tremewen) first met
Johann more than 25 years ago when
we were both medical students at the
Austin Hospital. Our paths separated
after graduation. Early in his medical
career, he moved to the United Kingdom
and then later to Adelaide to further a
career in anaesthesia. In 1998, for the
final year of his anaesthesia training,
he returned to the Austin where he
gained his fellowship and went on
to be appointed as a full-time staff
anaesthetist.
Those were simpler times when CVs
didn’t come with photographs much
less Facebook pages. We remember that
when his application for employment
at the Austin was accepted there was
considerable speculation about the
man coming from overseas via South
Australia with the exotic name of
“Johann Colin-Thomé”. When he arrived
and introduced himself he must have
been fully expecting the surprised looks
because his eyebrows lifted over his
characteristic impish smile as he said,
“Perhaps you were expecting someone
taller…or fairer… or with a Swedish
accent.”
A gentle sense of fun underpinned
Johann’s professional and personal
life. Of course you need to have a sense
of humour to support the Richmond
Football Club and he could see no wrong
in his beloved team. At least, like the
rest of us, he could see no wrong in
March each year. August was a different
story, although even then he could
always see some little brightness in the
season to follow.
Johann had a strongly positive
outlook on life in general. He could see
good in everyone and in almost every
situation. Positivity and good humour
were the basis upon which he built so
many lasting friendships within the
department of anaesthesia, the wider
hospital and the even-wider healthcare
community. Always “up” for a
coffee and a chat downstairs or if time
allowed, a quick lunch at Romano’s
pizza restaurant, he added an extra
touch of humanity to the Austin.
He brought a little style to our world.
At least he tried to and we definitely
needed it. Carefully purchased clothes,
leather trousers, tailored coats. Colours
that matched, no less. And of course
the famous earring. Style too when
choosing and discussing his high-end
audio equipment, his music collection
and indulging his and Kerry’s love of
speedy automobiles.
Friendships made in the workplace
were carried through to his personal
life and many of us have been the
recipients of his family’s hospitality in
their homes, first in Ivanhoe and more
recently in Eltham. There was no better
way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon
than with Kerry’s roast chicken lunch, a
bottle or two of finest red wine selected
by Johann from his excellent cellar and
the warmest of conversation.
Johann was an excellent clinician.
He had a fierce intelligence, was
quick to assess and manage clinical
problems and was highly technically
skilled. He was a genuine “all-rounder”
equally at home allaying the fears of
a frightened elderly patient having a
minor day-case operation as he was
providing anaesthesia for the most
complex of surgical procedures in the
most desperate of situations. He was
one of a small number of anaesthetists
who participated in all the anaesthesia
sub-specialties at the Austin, most
notably anaesthesia for open-heart
surgery and for liver transplantation.
All this provided at the highest clinical
level with a minimum of fuss, and with
remarkable modesty.
He had an amazing work ethic. When
there was an extra operating session to
support, or a gap in the roster to fill in
a department like ours, a list of people
who “might help out” runs through
your mind. Not everyone is on that
list. Johann was always top of that
list. He always said “yes” and he did
so with grace.
108 ANZCA Bulletin June 2011