Portrait of Peter Livingstone

Name: Peter David Livingstone, OAM
ANZCA PRESIDENT 1990 – 1992

Qualifications:
MBBS, University of Queensland (1958)
DA, University of Melbourne (1965)
FANZCA, 1992 (FFARACS, 1973)
Member of Academy of Medicine, Malaysia (1992)

Date of Birth: 14 October 1934

Dr Peter Livingstone has the unique distinction of being the last Dean of the Faculty of Anaesthetists, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and being the first President of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. He was elected to the Board of the Faculty in 1981, and served on the Board for the next 12 years, overseeing the change of administration from Faculty to College, Board to Council.

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Inauguaral Council, 1992

Peter David Livingstone was born on 14 October 1934 in Brisbane, Queensland. He attended Eagle Junction State School, followed by Church of England Grammar School (now Anglican Church Grammar School).

On completion of his secondary schooling in 1952, he attended the University of Queensland and graduated MBBS in 1958. Immediately after graduation, he was the Resident Medical Officer at Brisbane General Hospital (now Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital), and took on the role of Anaesthetic Registrar there in 1961. He moved to Melbourne in 1964 to undertake a Diploma of Anaesthetics at the University of Melbourne and during this time, he was also worked at the Alfred Hospital. He returned to Brisbane in 1965, initially with a private group practice.

During his training, he was mentored and supervised by the likes of Prof Tess Cramond, Dr Kevin McCaul, Dr Greta McClelland and Dr Robert Orton. Cramond and McCaul were instrumental in arranging his Melbourne appointments.

Throughout his career, Livingstone worked in a range of anaesthesia settings, including neurosurgical anaesthesia, paediatrics and obstetrics, which was to become a lifelong interest.

For several years he was involved with an ENT research team examining ear disease in Aboriginal children. The team visited many Aboriginal communities in Queensland, giving anaesthetics and making observations.

In 1981, Livingstone was elected to the Board of the Faculty of Anaesthetists at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He served on the Board for the next 12 years, taking on a number of roles during that time, including Treasurer, Chairman of Executive, Vice Dean, and in 1990, Dean. Livingstone was to be the last Dean of the Faculty, as in 1992 the Faculty formally separated from the RACS and became the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

Looking back on his term as Dean/President, Dr Peter Livingstone lists several initiatives which stood out. Apart from completing the formation of ANZCA, he includes the wide sweeping review of the exam process, introducing major changes as a result, the development of the Faculty of Intensive Care out of the Section that previously existed, and the plans and movement toward developing the Faculty of Pain Medicine.

 

OTHER AWARDS AND HONOURS

Orton Medal (1995)
Court of Honour RACS (1993)
Medal of Order of Australia (2014)

 

 

 

REFERENCES

The information in these biographies has been researched via the ANZCA Archives with the assistance of the individual Fellows.

IMAGES

  1. Peter David Livingstone portrait, 1992
  2. Inaugral Council Photograph, 1992