Family doctor

Born: August 15, 1920;

Died: March 19, 2017

DONALD Rawson, who has died aged 96, was a long-serving family doctor in Ayrshire who spent 42 years as a GP, starting out in the job just before the creation of the NHS. He also served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the Second World War, first in Italy and then Greece.

He saw the importance of treating the whole person and was ahead of his time in recognising the risks of over prescribing. He knew that, rather than a pill, what his patients often needed was a kind word, a listening ear, some wise counsel, or perhaps a difficult truth, gently conveyed.

He was born almost a century ago at a time when the country was still in the shadow of the Great War. In a poignant connection to that war, his given names – Donald and Alexander – were the names of two uncles who were sent to the trenches in Europe and never returned.

His mother, the sister of Donald and Alexander, was Annie Macrae. She was brought up in the village of Dornie in Kintail, Ross-shire and in an exceptional achievement for a young woman of her time and place, she won a scholarship to study at Aberdeen University. During the course of her studies she spent time in Ayrshire and it was here that she met Donald’s father, Walter Rawson. Having studied at Glasgow University, Walter taught at Craigie and moved to Mauchline, serving in both as headmaster.

Donald himself was born in 1920, a year after his brother Robert and 10 years ahead of his sister Catherine. He spoke fondly of his early years. The role which his father held involved much more at that time than teaching children. It was a key role in the community where many would turn up on the doorstep looking for help.

His early life shifted dramatically with the death of his father when Donald was only 13. Life thereafter – in the days before welfare – must have been difficult for his mother. But despite this setback Donald excelled at school and had his choice of what to do in his life.

With his innate sense of adventure, he was strongly drawn to the sea, and was determined to join the Royal Navy. His mother was not supportive – she wanted to keep him close and ultimately he was persuaded to study medicine at Glasgow University. As a compromise, he took a summer job working as a steward on the transatlantic ship the Athenia – travelling between Glasgow and Montreal. The Athenia was to become one of the most notorious ships in recent history. During her voyage to Canada in September 1939, the ship was sunk by a German U-boat within hours of war having been declared.

Were it not for an exam Donald was required to sit as part of his medical studies, he would have been on that voyage. That narrow escape is perhaps one thing which gave Donald the strength and determination which he demonstrated in later life.

On graduating in 1943, he was chosen by the renowned Professor of Surgery, Sir Charles Illingworth to serve as his house surgeon. This was a sign of his real potential in the field and in normal times would almost certainly have been the foundation for a specialist career in surgery.

But 1943 was not, of course, a normal time. Young doctors were needed in the war effort and Donald served in the Royal Army Medical Corps – first in Italy and then Greece. He did not say much about what he witnessed as a doctor in those years, but there were to be some very positive aspects of his time in the Army. He remained in Greece for two years after the end of the war and developed a love for the country and its culture. He would return there on holiday many times.

It was there, too, in the city of Kavalla, that he met his future wife Beryl Harvey, a nursing sister in the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service. After a short time working in hospitals in London and Glasgow, the opportunity arose for Donald to join the Mauchline practice as a family doctor.

He would spend 42 years in this role, starting just before the creation of the NHS and retiring when he was 70. He saw being a family physician as a privilege and he applied himself to the job with utmost professionalism and dedication. He was a doctor of the old school. Home visits were the norm as well as being on call 24 hours a day for weeks on end.

Dr Rawson was tested in his later life. He lost his wife very suddenly in 1992, his brother and sister passed away within weeks of each other in 2003, and he suffered the death of his son Michael six years ago through Parkinson’s Disease. He accepted these trials with resilience and stoicism. There was no self-pity or bitterness; his focus instead was on the support he could provide to others. And he did not give up. He was blessed with a razor sharp intellect which he retained right to the end. He lived independently at home until just over a year ago – supported tremendously by his family.

Well into his 90s, he retained a keen interest in the community, having been an active committee member of the Burns Memorial Homes in Mauchline for over 50 years. He also played an influential role in the League of Friends of Ballochmyle Hospital. He served as GP to the staff of the hospital for many years and one of his last outings was to the unveiling of a plaque last October commemorating the site of the hospital, with wording chosen from the Golden Jubilee booklet Dr Rawson helped collate.

He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer and his late son Michael’s children, Colin and Fiona.

RONALD MACKAY