THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED A LIFE
Greg Witherow (Class of 1974) had his sights set on a career in engineering when Principal Keith Jones suggested that he consider studying medicine instead. “I hadn’t even vaguely contemplated that,” muses the now orthopaedic surgeon. “And I thank him for that because it was a great career choice for me. So, that was by far the biggest influence on my life.”
Greg joined Mentone Grammar in 1969 and hit the ground running, quite literally. He was active in the sports program, playing football, cricket, tennis and athletics. He also played the flute, was dedicated to his studies and was well-respected among his peers, making him a natural choice for Head Boy in 1974.
WHICH TEACHERS WERE INFLUENTIAL FOR YOU?
The biggest single influence was Keith Jones. But there was Mr Webster, my maths teacher, Alex Gusbeth, who I used to throw javelin with and was our physics teacher. There was Mr Hicks, who was the coach of the football team when I was the captain, and he was also the art teacher. And, of course, Bruce Lobb. Bruce was the school marshal, and he was very involved with the football and cadets. Bruce had a big effect on me also.
WHAT WAS YOUR JOURNEY AFTER SCHOOL?
Mentone Grammar had a big influence on my decision to study medicine after school. So, I did that at Melbourne University and eventually ended up specialising as an orthopaedic surgeon. I am based in Perth, Western Australia, and I’ve been there for 39 years. So yeah, the school had a big effect on my career choice, and had a big effect on me as an individual, just because I got involved in a lot of things.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE STUDENTS?
Take every opportunity. Get involved in all the things that interest you. These days there is far more on offer than when I went through school, but it is an opportunity you only get once. I think probably the things that I regret are the few opportunities that I didn’t take.
