indicated [that] he was interested in me applying. I gave my usual spiel that I was heading home back to the Caribbean [and] he encouraged me to speak with my father [who] was, at the time, a practising GP in Bradford … When given the details of the offer my father had no hesitation in convincing me to stay remarking that the offer of a partnership and the terms were excellent. I remember him saying ‘You’re a very lucky boy’ … I remember being totally undecided and having a headache over the enormity of the effect of my decision. My whole life was about to change. Needless to say, I succumbed and accepted his offer. I officially began working as a partner within the National Health Service on 1 April 1977. April Fools’ Day! And so, here I was, a foreigner, a West Indian, working within a predominantly Greek surgery where most of the patients and all of the staff were of Greek or Greek Cypriot descent. As such, it was necessary for me to have an interpreter with me during my consultations. It was a truly exciting time, which I enjoyed immensely. About 18 months after officially joining the practice, I remember looking at myself in the car mirror while driving to work one morning and thinking ‘My God! I’m really enjoying my work. I was born to be a GP.’ I have enjoyed my work ever since.”

Dr Victor Eastmond was offered a job at in the radiography at the Royal Free Hospital in 1969. “I spent about three months there before

leaving to do freelance agency radiography at many hospitals within the National Health Service. I continued this work in the NHS until 1970. It was a very challenging profession in that I was called out to various hospitals to examine patients, take their X-rays at the request of doctors who diagnosed and prescribed the treatment that was necessary. I must say having done the radiography course at the Royal Free Hospital … my desire became even greater to carry on and to try and achieve my dental requirement. I decided to do some more A levels during that period of time. I had to do those at evening classes and ended up with a total of four A levels, which gained me a place at the Royal Dental Hospital in London. I started that course at the age of 25 in 1970. I then did the four-and-a-half-year course which finished in November 1974. I gained two degrees, the bachelor of dental surgery (BDS Lon) and degree and licentiate of dental surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England degree (LDSRCS Eng) in January 1975. I then started to do oral surgery as a junior house surgeon at St George’s Hospital and the Royal Dental Hospital for three months each in 1975. I had to work every other weekend on-call when I was at St George’s Hospital. So it was a very hard time as far as the commitment … It was however a very great learning experience … I was also a senior house surgeon at the Edgware General Hospital later in that same year.”

After his training, Dr Anthony Lewis went on be a senior house officer at the Leeds Dental Hospital. “I worked there until 1971 when I passed the final fellowship examination. I got on extremely well with the patients. Well, I was senior house officer from December 1968 to December 1969. Then I was appointed registrar in dental surgery at the Leeds Dental Hospital in 1970 and during this time I was successful in the fellowship of dental surgery of Royal College of Surgeons of both England and Edinburgh.”

Dr Victor Eastmond receiving 1977 NLS Hope Award