Sir John Golding

ABSTRACT

The funeral of John Golding, organised by the Jamaican government and attended by the prime minister and leader of the opposition, and the numerous tributes from colleagues testify to John Golding's impact on his adopted country. He was honoured with the Order of Jamaica and the road to the hospital was name for him. He first went there in 1953 as senior lecturer in orthopaedics; six months later Jamaica was struck with its first major outbreak of poliomyelitis, which affected 1500 children. To cope with this he helped set up a rehabilitation unit in a disused drama theatre. In time this became the Mona Rehabilitation Centre serving the whole English speaking Caribbean. Golding also established the Hope Valley School, ensuring that handicapped people had the stimulus of working along side those who were not; a farm; and Monex, a company selling jewellery and woodwork made by the patients. The last also made all the island's flags, repaired the hospital's linen cleaned specimen tubes for reuse in the hospital laboratories, and serviced headsets for Air Jamaica. Other initiatives included fundraising through Christmas cards and a fun fair, a woodshop to produce artificial joints using recycled aluminium, a school of physical therapy, the Cheshire Home, and hospice care. Aged 71, Golding initiated the National Road Safety Council of Jamaica, which had introduced breathalysers, and at the time of his death he was campaigning for car seat belts. All this was achieved in addition to the usual heavy workload of a professor of orthopaedic sugery, and outside commitments such as being secretary general of World Orthopaedic Concern and chairman of the Medical Research Council of the Caribbean. He leaves a wife, Pat (who enabled him to achieve so much), a son and a daughter, and four grandchildren. (AU)