Wellbeing and Brain Injury

In this #VWS2019 podcast presentation, Dr. Rod Bain speaks about wellbeing and brain injury and the importance of correct diagnosis, for treatment and management.

 

 

More about Dr. Rod Bain

 

Dr. Bain served in the Royal Australian Navy from 1966 to 1973 joining while still a student. The major portion of his post-graduate time was spent in seagoing appointments. In 1969 he also served ashore with the RAAMC. at 1st Aust Field Hospital in Vung Tau, SVN. In 1970 he served with the USN 7th Fleet on HMAS Hobart and in 1972 he became the Principal Medical Officer on HMAS Sydney returning our troops from Vietnam.

Discharge from the RAN was followed by a number of years of medical specialty training at several of the leading teaching hospitals in Sydney and London. Commenced setting up the Department of Anaesthesia at Westmead Hospital on returning to Sydney in 1977, but chose finally to begin full-time Private Practice on the NSW Central Coast and not stay with an academic career. The work involved the Gosford Public Hospital and two Private Hospitals. Retired from full-time medical practice at the end of 1999 but continues to remain registered to practice in Australia

In 2000 he developed his own private companies dealing in Art and Land sales. These are now all sold and he concentrates on full time medical advisory work relating to ADF members and ex-service personnel and their families along with Department of Veterans’ Affairs committees


Campaign Medals, Decorations and Awards

  • Vietnam Medal
  • Vietnam Campaign Medal
  • The Australian Active Service Medal
  • The Australian Service Medal
  • Australian Defence Medal
  • Order of Australia Medal
  • Returned from Active Service Badge

Length of ESO Memberships and official positions held

Rod joined the Gosford RSL sub-branch in 1997 while reducing his full-time specialist career at the local hospitals. He became a RSL sub-branch pensions/welfare officer in 1998, positions he relinquished on transferring to the City of Wollongong Sub-branch when Central Coast District Council became a Metropolitan one in 2012. In early 2014 Rod transferred into North Bondi RSL Sub-Branch.

  • Delegate for Gosford Sub-Branch on the Central Coast District Council of RSL Sub-Branches from 1998 to 2003.
  • RSL NSW State Congress Delegate representing Gosford Sub-Branch 2000-2003.
  • He was elected a State Councillor RSL NSW in 2004 from the Southern Country.
  • In 2008 Rod was elected to a three-year term as RSL NSW Vice President (Southern Country), and re-elected in 2011.

Dr. Bain with his professional background has several State (RSL) and National (RSL) appointments and is a past (2006) Board Member of several Aged Care facilities on the Central Coast. In addition, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs has appointed him to a number of its National Committees. Some of these include:

  1. Operation Life Program Committee for suicide prevention in conjunction with the Veterans and Veterans’ Families Counselling Service (VVCS). This position is also held at a State Minister for Health (NSW) level.
  2. Men’s Health Peer Education a committee to enhance the physical wellbeing of veterans in NSW
  3. Veterans and Veterans ’Families Health Forum the committee controlling an $11.5M research program to study the Intergenerational Health Effects of Service in the Military. First results were available at the end of 2012.
  4. RSL (NSW) Representative on the Reserve Forces Council (NSW).
  5. Ex-Service Organisation (ESO) round table (NSW) consultative group chaired by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Deputy Commissioner (NSW) to improve Defence and Veteran Community’s relations
  6. National Health and Aged Care Forum as RSL National’s Medical Advisor.
  7. DVA Clinical Reference Group for Preventable Hospital Admissions and Improved Community Care Program for Veterans as the country’s only ESO representative.
  8. RSL State Department of Veterans’ Affairs Committee member to deal with local ex-service problems within the Defence and veteran community.
  9. M.A.T.E.S. Veterans’ medicines advice and therapeutics education services. A National program designed to provide safer and greater care with medicines in our Veteran Community Australia wide. Eg. Reduce drug related hospital admissions. Based at the South Australian University School of Pharmacy
  10. He resigned from the RSL (NSW) State Branch in December 2016 because the then state executive refused to investigate the alleged misconduct of several of his fellow State Councillors.

Rod also belongs to the Vietnam Vet. Assoc. of Aust., the Naval Association of Aust., the former Boer War Memorial Committee and the RAAMC having served at 1st Aust. Field Hosp. in Vietnam.

He is the Medical Advisor to the Aust. Veterans and Defence Services Council (AVADSC) as well as the National Naval Assoc. of which he is also a member.

He’s an occasional guest speaker at different ex-service groups’ functions who seek clarification on Federal Legislative matters relating to veterans and their families’ welfare.