Gone fishing: Life after 40 years in emergency medicine
When FACEM Dr David ‘Greenie’ Green became Gold Coast University Hospital’s (GCUH) first emergency department (ED) registrar in 1984, he said it was a ‘small, urban, district hospital’ where he would arrive for work in the panel van he often slept in between shifts.
On his retirement in January 2025 as Australia’s longest-serving ED Director, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Foundation Fellow Dr Green said it was now ‘the largest ED in the country’. His enduring presence and unique experience played a significant role in achieving this milestone.
“‘There will never be anyone like him again, I imagine.’”
For the scores of staff whose lives Dr Green touched across four decades, his departure brought a unique sense of loss. On his last day after 38 years as director, dozens of people – from fellow emergency physicians to nurses, ward assistants and even patients – lined the corridor, showing him their appreciation by applauding as Dr Green walked it for his final official time.
‘From a department perspective, we're very proud to say that we've had the longest-serving director of emergency medicine,’ GCUH ED Director FACEM Dr Hayley Frieslich said. ‘There will never be anyone like him again, I imagine.’
GCUH ED Director FACEM Dr Hayley Frieslich
‘Greenie was instrumental in seeing the speciality grow in Queensland and across the country and that has helped our College be the highly credible, internationally recognised organisation it is today,’ she said. ‘The influence he’s had in the community has been huge, and by training so many emergency physicians that legacy will continue. I really don’t think there will be another emergency physician with as much impact.’
‘I cannot think of any person who’s been able to inspire and mentor other medical leaders beyond the ED as much as he has. He will be missed.’
Dr Green said there is much he will miss about the daily operations of a busy ED. However, he is sure that what matters most to him – the relationships he formed with people – will continue into the next stage of his life in retirement.
‘I won’t miss trying to go to sleep at night, worrying about my patients,’ he said. ‘I won’t miss the access block issue.’
But he has plenty to look forward to. Dr Green said he plans to spend plenty of time in the coming years ‘towing a boat around Australia’.
“‘The thing I loved about emergency medicine is that it was never just a case of turning up to the same job. When you’re in the ED, every day really is different.’”
His lifelong passion for fishing is widely known. It’s a love that saw him balance his high-pressure role in the ED with a sideline gig as Field Editor for Fishing World magazine.
When Dr Green hit the headlines in 2018 after being awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the Australia Day Honours list, he said, ‘Training and research are the two things I’m most proud to see expand under my directorship’.
That commitment to training included 20 years as an ACEM examiner.
Looking back on his working life, Dr Green said receiving the OAM was one of his proudest moments, even though he admitted, ‘I’m not someone who’s really into public affirmations’.
As for the OAM today, he said he thought it’s ‘in a cupboard somewhere’.
Dr Green said that what mattered most during his lengthy career in emergency medicine was ‘serving the community and getting the best possible outcomes for patients’.
Former GCUH ED Director FACEM Dr David Green
When asked to choose his most challenging days in emergency medicine, Dr Green reflected on the Mt Tamborine bus crash in 1990. He was the first doctor on the scene.
‘That was a traumatic day,’ he said. ‘We weren’t nearly as advanced in pre-hospital care as we are now. The level of support on offer to staff has changed a lot since then too. Back then, it was a case of ‘just get on with it’.
He said there were many times it was hard, but he never considered giving it away.
‘The thing I loved about emergency medicine is that it was never just a case of turning up to the same job,’ Dr Green said. ‘When you’re in the ED, every day really is different.’
“‘He can name every staff member in our department, from the medical team and nursing staff to admin, wardies, and cleaners. He knows something personal about each one of them.’ ”
‘David was an absolutely amazing asset and advocate for nursing within emergency at Gold Coast Health’, GCUH ED Nurse Unit Manager Emily Davis said.
‘He advocated for the team and knew everyone by name. He was a true gentleman in regard to knowing who was struggling and who was exceeding. He regularly came to my office and let me know about important challenges I may not have been aware of.
‘He also advocated for nursing in forums where he thought it was appropriate. His calm demeanour and willingness to help others went a long way. His attention to detail is something that we will miss.’
GCUH ED Acting Nurse Manager Toni Taylor agreed.
‘In the 12 years I’ve had the pleasure of working with Greenie, one thing he always emphasised was, “Get to know your team; they will become your family”.
Gold Coast University Hospital
‘Greenie truly lived by these words. He can name every staff member in our department, from the medical team and nursing staff to admin, wardies, and cleaners. He knows something personal about each one of them.
‘Considering we have 450 nurses in our department alone, this speaks volumes about the time and effort he invested in getting to know us all,’ she said. ‘He cared not only for the staff but also for the patients we serve. His presence was truly felt by all.’
Dr Frieslich said that Dr Green’s value to the ED was hard to articulate, but put simply, ‘he has a presence’.
‘When he walked onto the floor, you immediately felt better just because he was there,’ she said. ‘Everyone knew he was the person you could go to if you needed anything.
“‘When he walked onto the floor, you immediately felt better just because he was there.’”
‘Greenie attended every single nursing handover and medical handover, rain or shine, every time he was here,’ Dr Frieslich said. ‘No matter how chaotic things were, or how many chaotic stories we dealt with in that shift, you just knew it was going to be okay.’
‘He really taught us that it’s the personal stories and our diversity that make us bond together more – and that most things can be sorted out with a conversation.
‘In terms of missing him, it will be that presence, that sense of calm, that sense of direction and that team goal he set for us – that we’re all going in the same direction and everything will be okay.’
Career timeline
Gold Coast Hospital, Southport (old location)
1984: Packed up his Holden Belmont Panel van and moved from Gosford Hospital to the Gold Coast Hospital at Southport. After a background in anaesthetics, Dr David Green became the first emergency department registrar.
1984-1994: Established the Gold Coast’s first medical retrieval service with doctors on the scene of nasty accidents.
1985: Started his side hustle as Senior Field Editor with Fishing World magazine and contributor to many other titles.
1987: Became the first person at Gold Coast Hospital to finish fellowship training at the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM). His exam marks topped the country and he won the Buchanan Prize.
1987: Became the Director of Emergency Medicine at Gold Coast Hospital.
1990: Dr Green was the first doctor on scene at the Mt Tamborine bus crash on 26 September 1990, where 11 people died and 42 were injured.
1990: Examiner with ACEM.
1993: Queensland Censor and Accreditor with ACEM.
1994: Founding member of the Gold Coast Helicopter Rescue Service (now
LifeFlight).
2001-2010: Senior Court of Examiners with ACEM.
2002: Robina Hospital (built in 2020 as private hospital) taken over by the Qld Government.
2003: Awarded the Foundation 20 ACEM medal.
2006: Became Associate Professor at the Griffith University School of Medicine.
2007: Robina Hospital Emergency Department opened.
2013: Old Southport hospital was closed and relocated to GCUH.
2018: Awarded the Medal for the Order of Australia.
2022: MICC added at GCUH.
2023: Tugun Satellite Hospital opened.
2024: Celebrated 40 years at Gold Coast Health.
2024: Robina Hospital ED expansion opened.
