This Albert Einstein quote is a favourite of Dr David Tulloch, and one he is hoping to help Griffith understand as he takes the reins of Medical Services Director at Griffith Base Hospital during the redevelopment.

Taking the position almost a month ago, he is excited for the challenge ahead - an exciting yet different task in comparison to his career working as a medical officer in the Royal Navy.

Born in Egypt, growing up in Singapore, Malaysia and then UK, he was used to moving around.

He originally started his studies with the idea of being an oil exploration geologist, however when his sister started training as a nurse he was exposed to people and ideas he had never thought of, which changed his trajectory.

He decided to join the Royal Navy and get his medical studies paid for - with the return of five years of service. He served for 23 years.

"During that time I did my junior doctor stuff in the Navy and then went onto a sub - specialty of Urology."

He served in the Falklands campaign as a junior, he found himself dealing with battle injuries 8000 miles away from the home resource, on rough seas, helping to build a burns unit in part of the ship to hold 70 patients.

For perspective, a burns unit in the UK at the time "would've been overwhelmed at six".

"It was pretty hard work, and it has left its scars as well," Dr Tulloch explained.

"On the day the Gallahad was bombed, up until that point I had been keeping a little red book of the people who had come in, the injuries they were presenting with, and what their treatment plan was.

"The entry in my book on that day was 'we have had 159 casualties admitted today. I have no idea where they are on the ship or what we are doing about them'.

Dr Tulloch went on another unexpected deployment when the US Marine headquarters in Beirut got hit by a suicide bomber.

RELATED

"I happened to be in Cyprus airport at the time with a patient at the time, and the Air Force was there. They asked me what I did, and I said 'I'm a surgeon' and they said good because I was now in command of the surgical team getting on that Hercules over there and flying into Beirut."

His deployment in the Gulf War deployment was "a quiet one". Based in Hafir Al Batin, northern Saudi in a tented hospital, his said his gas mask never left his side.

After moving with his wife from New Zealand to Australia, Dr Tulloch is ready to hit the ground running to ensure our hospital redevelopment project will have the services needed to facilitate future medical practices.

***

While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Monday at 6am from The Area News? To make sure you're up to date with all the Griffith and MIA news you can sign up here.