When it comes to children's health in the Hunter, there would be few who have done as much as Conjoint Professor Trish Davidson.
The fifth-generation doctor helped establish John Hunter Children's Hospital with her husband Dr Cliff Hosking in 1993, which has grown from about 10 consultants to more than 100 specialists. They started Hunter Children's Research Foundation, and Professor Davidson also set up what was Kaleidoscope, now HNE kids, all while caring for some 30,000 children and families across three generations.
After an illustrious career spanning 50 years, the OAM recipient has retired with somewhat mixed feelings.
"I've love this community, the people have been fantastic," she said. "We've done great things both in health and outside of health. So there's a bit of sadness but there's also a lot of excitement, because I've got heaps of other things to do, and not being tied to work everyday, 60-70 hours a week, will be kind of liberating."
Professor Davidson studied at Glasgow University in the 1970's before deciding to work overseas. This brought her to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, where she met Dr Hosking.
"We decided we would come to Newcastle, it seemed an interesting place," she said. "Fantastic university, interesting academic opportunities, and a great place to live with a small family.
"It's a great community, people are really caring and supportive and they understand that one day, you're working as a professional but the next day you're just a mum down at the school."
That profession has led to Professor Davidson becoming one of just nine women to hold a senior leadership position in the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons since its inception in 1927. When she started out, two per cent of people training in surgery were women, which has now grown to almost 30 per cent.
Most recently, Professor Davidson was executive director of medical services at Hunter New England Health. Looking back on her work as a paediatric surgeon, she said it has been both fascinating and rewarding.
"It is such a privilege to have a baby with something knowing that you can use your skills to give them a great future," she said. "Families are really like teams, and working with families, we're all the parents and the doctors and nurses and allied health, everybody's working on the best for the child.
"So we're working in a big team all doing the best that we can, and giving people a great future, which they might not have had if we didn't work together."
But it's her own family: Cliff, daughters Caitlin and Sarah, sons-in-law Matt and Johno and granddaughter Skye, who she helped deliver, that Professor Davidson pays most credit to.
"You can't do what I do if your family don't keep on loving you when you go, 'I'm going to be late again'," she said.
"They have just been outstanding and I would like to acknowledge all of my colleagues in Hunter New England who have gone above and beyond. I just would trust them with my life."
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