Our History
100 Years of CareSharp Street Surgery
Est. 1902
The Sharp Street Surgery opened on 23rd August, 1902 when Dr James Wright Paton set up in solo practice in the Australian Hotel in Sharp Street. He was a keen sportsman and cricketer. In 1906 he sold his practice to Dr A.H. McIntosh, Superintendent of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, shortly to be followed by Dr Leslie Cowlishaw in 1907. In 1911 Dr Cowlishaw built on the corner of Dawson and Massie Streets which acted as a doctor's surgery and residence for 35 years. Cowlishaw left Cooma in 1915 as a volunteer in the 12th Light Horse Regiment serving in Gallipoli and France.
When Dr Frank Utber took over Dr Cowlishaw's practice in 1915, his practice area stretched from Michelago to Mt. Kosciusko and Kiandra to Bemboka. On one occasion he was lost in a blizzard for 4 days near Adaminaby when he drove over a fence line into a paddock because the snow was over the fence posts.
In 1936, Drs Lindon and Naomi Wing bought the practice from Dr Utber. They practiced from No. 1 Massie Street for 10 years and by the end of World War II they were the only medical practitioners in Cooma.
In 1946, Harvey Dakin "came to Cooma for excitement". He served as a medical officer in the RAAF in WW II and at one stage was helping Sir William Hudson conduct cloud seeding experiments from his plane instead of seeing patients!
The Snowy Scheme began in 1949 and was attracting doctors to service the rapidly expanding population. Drs Dick West, Bob Englebrecht OAM and Leigh Phillips joined Dr Dakin and the group formed the backbone of the practice for nearly 30 years. Dr Dakin left in 1961 and was later replaced by Dr John Price in 1973.
Dick West fell ill in 1982 and was replaced by his son, Dr Andrew West (grandson of Dr Cowlishaw). Dr Roslyn Brooks also came in 1983. Drs Robert Wiles & Dawn Glasgow arrived in 1991 while Drs Brian Tugwell, Effie Parakilas & David Learoyd joined them in 1997. Dr Suzanne Rainsford came in 2000, Dr Attila Györy in 2006, Dr Jane Laloma in 2007 and Drs Christine Human and Sean Truter in 2008.
The practice took its first GP trainees in the 1970's. Dr Mark Oakley of Bega worked in the practice in 1978 but there are no records of how many others there were. The practice was accredited under the RACGP Training Programme in 1991 and has taken GP Registrars, Mentors & medical students since then.
A more detailed history can be read in the framed story boards in the waiting room.
