Surgeon Tom Lyttle announced to a room full of work colleagues family and friends that he intends to retire in September this year.
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The announcement was made at his 70th birthday party on Saturday evening which was shared by his children and many people he has worked with over his lengthy career in Goulburn.
“I will not be taking any new patients from June 1, and will be winding back my practice and handing over to another surgeon who we expect will be arriving in August,” Mr Lyttle said.
“I feel the time is right to step away from the work now while I can still enjoy some quality years.
“From June I will be gradually winding down and handing over to the remaining patients to the surgeon who is arriving from England.
Mr Lyttle said he decided that Saturday night was the right time to make the announcement with his three children and grand children present as well as so many people he had worked with over his career.
During the evening there were plenty of speeches and a slide show that gave an insight into the activities Mr Lyttle enjoyed outside of his medical practice including his many hiking trips in various with Jack Micklethwaite and other friends.
Tom Lyttle was born in Goulburn and went to Goulburn Public School then went away to school at Shore Grammar in Sydney.
He and Mr Micklethwaite had grown up as childhood friends and have remained close friends particularly from when Tom returned to Goulburn after completing his training as a surgeon.
They had both studied at the University of Sydney and Tom did his internship at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital before heading to England to train as a surgeon.
In early 1972, he returned to Goulburn where he has been working at the Goulburn Base Hospital ever since as well as having his practice office with the Goulburn Medical Centre.
Mr Lyttle said one of the most exciting advances in surgery came with the development of keyhole surgery.
“One it would take a person 10 days or more to recover in hospital from a gall bladder operation and six or more weeks at home convalescing”, he said.
“Now they can be in and out of hospital in a day or so or sometime even the same day and back at work far quicker.
“Something that is a challenge for doctors it the ability of bugs to become increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
“So far we have the antibiotics to deal with them and hopefully research will stay ahead but it is certainly a concern for the future.
“The cost of health care is also becoming increasingly expensive and I think it will get to a stage where decisions have to be made regarding whether or not to treat based on economic viability.
“I hope that these decisions will not be left up to individual doctors to have to make but through committee decision.
![Mr Lyttle, pictured (left) with his good mate Jack Micklethwaite at his birthday party. Mr Lyttle, pictured (left) with his good mate Jack Micklethwaite at his birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/867d325a-84c4-474d-8954-5181c198d00a.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![CELEBRATING A CAREER: Sarah Wilkinson, Sharon Grocott, birthday boy Tom Lyttle, Elaine Shepherd and Anne Gerard at Mr Lyttle’s 70th birthday party on Saturday. CELEBRATING A CAREER: Sarah Wilkinson, Sharon Grocott, birthday boy Tom Lyttle, Elaine Shepherd and Anne Gerard at Mr Lyttle’s 70th birthday party on Saturday.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/9adf8467-4693-4587-ae70-0189dd801aa5.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
“I have really enjoyed my career in Goulburn working with a great team of people who really care about the patients we endeavour to help.”
Mr Lyttle said he hopes to use his skills and knowledge to help train some of our future surgeons and is looking at a future teaching role on a part time basis.
He intends to see more of Australia and do some more walking trips with his friends but his most immediate plan is for a cycling trip in New Zealand in the latter part of this year.
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/dbffec51-c75b-498e-8b98-6417d7fb0506.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/265a5336-0bf1-4359-ae8f-f34bc7680c38.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/e295b5cf-60b0-4747-8c23-c0a6227d8fab.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/8ea5a6b9-e35e-4c8d-8468-5f4f2736a111.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/67fe473c-4d26-4de5-a6c4-627d446c5bfa.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/c000d4f2-2a72-406b-9a5e-5bb3670ce999.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/0793a2f3-6c42-4865-a7c3-e68068a0678e.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party. Tom Lyttle's 70th birthday party.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-5KuvS37emzbaPy9XbUJavA/dde8dbe1-a843-4c14-bad0-b6a5462a2700.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)