It is a pleasure to return to my editorial duties after six months in which John O’Brien so capably held the fort
while I carried out my responsibilities as chair of the
organizing committee for the Lorne IPA/Faculty of
Psychiatry of Old Age of the Royal Australian and New
Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FPOA RANZCP) joint
regional meeting. John has set a very high standard in
both style and content that I will strive to maintain in
this and the next three issues. I know I speak for all
members of IPA in thanking John for his superb efforts.
The IPA has now embarked on the process of selecting
my successor, who will take over to produce the June
2002 and subsequent issues of IPA Bulletin. It is hoped
that the publications committee will be able to make a
clear recommendation to the Board of Directors in
Nice, so as to give the new appointee plenty of time to
settle into the role before producing that June issue.
The position is open to any member of IPA and, if you
are interested or wish to nominate a colleague, please
contact me or Diane Nickolson at the IPA Secretariat.
All expressions of interest and initial nominations will
be treated in confidence. There is a bit of work involved
in the post, but I have found it an enjoyable and fulfilling
task these last four and a half years.
This issue sees something of a change in direction and
personnel. Dottie Zoller, who did so much to develop the IPA Bulletin
with me when working at IPA, kindly
helped out as managing editor in her capacity as an
external consultant in the months after she left IPA
while the secretariat was recruiting new staff. Now that
the secretariat is fully staffed again (see article else-where
in this issue), production and editorial functions
have been brought back “in-house” under the direction
of Diane Nickolson.
Following a process of proposal submissions and confidential
bids, IPA has changed designer and printer in
line with its policy of competitive bidding for all out-sourced
operations. I would like to take this opportunity
to thank not only Dottie, but also Don Mastri and
Batson Press our former designer and printer for the job
they have done over the past few years and for their
roles in enhancing what was already an excellent product
when I took it over in late 1996.
You can read about the Lorne meeting in Tom Dening’s
very generous article a few pages on. I would just like
to thank International Conference
Management Services, led by the
superbly efficient and personable
Sarah Markey-Hamm, for their
highly successful role in organizing
the meeting. My secretary
Yvonne Liddicoat worked her heart
out on Lorne for four years, and I
am deeply indebted to my colleagues
on the organizing committee, to whom I was
able to delegate virtually all of the organizational
responsibilities, leaving me to relax and enjoy the scientific
and social program they had assembled. All the
speakers kept to time and both rain and bushfires held
off for the duration of the meeting. I just wish the surf
had been a bit higher that week. We had 278 three-day
registrants, 10 one-day registrants and recruited 75 new
members for IPA. It looks as if the meeting returned a
small surplus, which will be divided between IPA and
FPOA RANZCP. I am relieved that we neither made a
loss, nor did we set the registration fee too high! On
now to Nice where Philippe Robert is arranging an
exciting Congress in a brilliant locale.
I have a few ambitions for the next three issues of IPA Bulletin. I would love to have more submissions for
our “Religions of the World” series and cherish the
hope of being able to publish something on social work
and occupational therapy before I finish up. There continues
to be space for accounts of your personal enthusiasms,
while James Lindesay needs more recipes sent to
him for inclusion. The first section of a three-part history
of the early days of IPA by Sandy Finkel is included
in this issue and will continue in September and
December as we build up to our twentieth anniversary
in 2002. Now would be a good time for any member to
send in photos (return guaranteed) and reminiscences
of IPA over two decades.
News of another related organization, the Pacific Rim
College of Psychiatrists (PRCP), is promulgated in a
piece by my colleague Bruce Singh, the incoming president
of that outfit. PRCP will be holding a meeting in
my beautiful park encircled hometown from 7-10
October and I commend both the meeting and the
organization to those of you who live in countries that
border the Pacific Ocean. In addition to our regular
columns from the president, on recent advances, a
recipe and our book and meeting lists, we also boast
articles on cognitive behavioral therapy, UK higher
training, IPA staff, board profiles, news items, a list of
our excellent assistant editors (most of whom have
pledged to contribute an additional article before
December 2001!) and (my favorite) a poem by a
Sydney-based colleague about her experiences coordinating
a site for the Australia/New Zealand risperidone
in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia
study. When I heard Lee-Fay Low present this at
the end of her talk at our annual FPOA meeting in
Sydney last year I knew it had to find a home within
these pages!
A few changes of address need to be noted. My former
office at Royal Park Hospital has ceased to function
with the closure of that hospital and its replacement
by smaller units in general hospitals around the
northern and western suburbs of Melbourne. All mail
for me should be addressed to:
David Ames, Department of Psychiatry, 7th Floor,
Charles Connibere Building, Royal Melbourne
Hospital, Parkville, Vic 3050, Australia.
My secretary, Yvonne Liddicoat, is winding back her
hours, prior to a well-earned retirement early in 2002.
Already she is spending several hours a week with
Amber, her gorgeous first grandchild. Yvonne can still
be reached on email at y.liddicoat@medicine
.unimelb.edu.au, by phone on +61 3 9342 2515 and
by fax to +61 3 9387 9201, but will be at work only
on Mondays from now until Christmas. My direct line
email has changed to dames@unimelb.edu.au but
the old one (d.ames@medicine.unimelb.edu.au) will
work in parallel for a while yet.
Please send copy and attachments to Yvonne as she
has the printer and I don’t!
David J. Ames, Editor of the IPA Bulletin, can be contacted at
the Department of Psychiatry, 7th Floor, Charles Connibere Building, Royal
Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Vic 3050, Australia (tel: +61 3 9342 2515,
fax: +61 3 9387 9201, e-mail: dames@unimelb.edu.au).
-----------------------------
David Ames
Reprinted from IPA Bulletin, Volume 18, Number
2
Copyright 2008 International Psychogeriatric Association
