Inspirational is the first word that comes to mind when referring to Speech Day 2017 guest speaker, BGS Old Boy Major General Professor John Pearn AM '57. Underneath an unassuming demeanour is a man who has made a difference in the lives of many, through more than five decades of work as an academic, paediatrician and physician.
In 2009 Prof Pearn was awarded an Order of Australia (AO) for service to medicine. His world-leading work in preventing child drownings saw him presented with Royal Life Saving Society's top award by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2016.
Alongside his longstanding work as an academic at The University of Queensland and paediatrician at the Children's and Women's hospitals in Brisbane, Major General Pearn undertook a parallel career with the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. He served for 38 years, with operational service as an intensivist and the senior military physician in Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and Rwanda, serving three years as the Surgeon General of the Australian Defence Force.
Today Prof Pearn is the paediatrician to the Burns and Trauma Centre at the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, and Director of Clinical and Biomedical Research for Children's Health Queensland. He remains a prolific academic, regularly publishing books, papers and journal articles. He has maintained his connection with BGS, serving on the Old Boys' Association committee.
During an eloquent Speech Day address, Major General Pearn encouraged BGS boys to take advantage of their opportunities. "In the context of the wider world, most young people are not free to choose a career path, but all of us here have that great privilege," he said. "My experience as both a teacher and a lifelong student is to follow both one's head and one's heart. Following one's head, with hard work, is the best formula for professional security. Following one's heart leads to a feeling of honesty to oneself, integrity, self-respect and perhaps to personal fulfilment."
Major General Pearn outlined three key themes he believed combined to bring personal fulfilment: undertaking volunteer service, treating all with the same courtesy and dignity that one would the Queen, and making time for creativity.
He explained volunteer service in the Navy, Army or Air Force afforded opportunities for training and experience beyond those available in a specific career, along with the privilege of "working alongside men and women who step forward from their civilian lives and who reach out to others in need". Acknowledging volunteering in the armed forces isn't for everyone, he recommended other service possibilities, including Scouts Australia, the Royal Life Saving Society and St John Ambulance Australia.
Major General Pearn urged the captivated audience to treat everyone with the same level of respect, irrespective of status or wealth. "Whatever your profession, craft or trade in the future, loyalty to those for whom you are responsible continues the very best traditions of courtesy and social dignity which are, and have always been, now for 150 years, a hallmark of our school," he said.
Finishing by speaking directly to the graduating Class of 2017, Major General Pearn wished them the best of luck. "Go forward with laughter and loyalty to your classmates, and may your head, your heart, and hard work bring much fulfilment," he said.
Source: Grammar News Summer 2018. Read the original edition