The ceremony, performed by HM Lord-Lieutenant of South Yorkshire Andrew Coombe, took place at the Mansion House in Doncaster and was attended by Garry’s close friends and family, along with the Civic Mayor of Doncaster, Majid Khan.
Garry was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list last summer and awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).
Garry, who has completed over half of century of service to the NHS, was born in Doncaster in 1941. Having trained in Sheffield, he attained his certification from the British Institute of Professional Photography and in 1966 was appointed to set up Doncaster Royal Infirmary’s first Department of Medical Illustration.
Personally responsible for educating and developing many young clinical photographers, during his time as Head of Medical Photography at Doncaster, Garry trained a new generation of photographers, one of whom heads the department today.
Since his retirement, Garry has remained a very active member of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. He expertly manages the Trust’s archive of photographs and other memorabilia, preserving and sharing the Trust’s long and illustrious history in his books and writing a regular column in the Trust magazine. His collections of photographs, documents and other memorabilia have grown steadily over the years and have been the subject of several exhibitions, gracing permanent displays on the walls of the hospital.
Garry has recently produced a book to celebrate in pictures the history of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. The book was published to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the NHS on 5 July 1948 and is on sale to raise funds for the Trust’s charity. If you would like to purchase a copy call 01302 644244 for more information.
Suzy Brain England OBE, Chair of the Board at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “Garry’s knowledge and experience of clinical photography has formed the foundations of a very successful team of photographers, still excelling in the field over 50 years after the department was founded by him. We’re delighted that he has been awarded this British Empire Medal as it recognises his outstanding service to the NHS, both as a professional, and in his role since retirement.
“Garry has helped to keep the illustrious history of the Trust alive through his collections and writings and we are most grateful to Garry for this, particularly for his efforts in producing his most recent book which captures our history and raises funds for our charity.”
The British Empire Medal was established in 1922 to replace the Medal of the Order of the British Empire. It is awarded for civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown.