Richard Cuthbert Geeves who died on October 23, 1972, after a long and trying illness, was the elder son of Richard and Elizabeth Geeves. He was born on November 11, 1898, at Geeveston, Tasmania, where his great grandfather had settled in 1842.
After being at Leslie House School (now The Friends' School) in Hobart and for one year at the University of Tasmania, "Cuppie" Geeves came to St. Andrew's College within the University of Sydney in 1918 and graduated MB, ChM in 1922.
After completing hospital training at the Royal North Shore Hospital during 1923-24, he entered general practice at Port Kembla. In those days there were few facilities for further formal postgraduate training. As events showed opportunities for "in service" training at Port Kembla were good.
In 1924 Cuppie married Bessie, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Banks. During a happy married life the Geeves had three children. The eldest, Richard Banks, is Censor-in-Chief of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners; one daughter, Elizabeth, who married Dr. Donald Smyth, pre deceased her father and Margaret married Patrick Mills, a son of Professor R. C. Mills, first incumbent of the Chair of Economics in the University of Sydney.
In 1927 the Geeves family moved to Pennant Hills, where Cuppie remained in active practice almost up to the time of his death, as a much loved family doctor.
Hornsby District Hospital was in the course of construction in 1927, and such was Cuppie's reputation that he was invited to join the honorary staff of the hospital as a senior surgeon, an appointment which he held until he retired in 1964, the last of the original honorary staff to do so. He was Chairman of the Honorary Medical Staff of Hornsby Hospital in 1938.
He was a foundation member of the Kuring-gai District Medical Association and was Honorary Treasurer during 1929-67.
In 1954 he became a member of the New South Wales Faculty of the College of General Practitioners and a member of the Faculty Board as well as Honorary Treasurer of the Faculty in 1957. He became a foundation member and Foundation Chairman of the New South Wales Faculty Board of the Australian College of General Practitioners in 1958. He served as Chairman of the Faculty Board until 1961 and was Provost during 1964-65, and was elected to fellowship of the College in 1964.
In October, 1972, Dr. Ian Watson, President of the RCGP, visited Dr. Geeves in hospital to admit him as a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
In 1963 Dr. Geeves was nominated by the Faculty for appointment to the New South Wales Medical Board, of which he continued to be a member until 1968. He represented the New South Wales Branch of the BMA at the Annual Meeting of the Association in 1958, and he was an AMA delegate to the Annual Meeting of the BMA in 1962. A nephew, Dr. John Banks, is at present President of the New South Wales Branch of the AMA. Major R. C. Geeves served in the AIF during World War II.
Cuppie was bereft by the death of his wife, Bessie, in 1956. In 1959 he married Mrs. Jo Ellem, who became a willing worker and office-bearer in the College Women's Committee, which gave warmth and colour to many of the activities of the early days of the College. Cuppie’s step-son, Kay Ellem, is Professor of Pathology in the Jefferson Medical College, USA.
Cuppie's death has left a blank in the hearts of those he served and those with whom he served. He was a friendly man of true humility. He had no personal ambition and did not seek office, but he was ready to do all in his power to help when asked. He was one of the last suburban general practitioners who were not affected greatly by the growth of "specialism".
The 1920's were the years of change following World War I. In this decade the postgraduate qualification rather than experience in general practice commenced to become the passport to consultant practice and a hospital appointment. Then the majority of university appointed clinical teachers had had experience in general practice and some combined general with consultant practice. Cuppie Geeves never became a consultant surgeon, but carried out the duties of a senior surgeon on the staff of a busy suburban hospital with a skill which reflected his "training and experience".
Deep sympathy is offered to the widow and family of Richard Cuthbert Geeves, who lived and died manifesting that Caritas which the motto of our College tells us is a mark of a good doctor, and more than that, it is the essence of a good man.
Written by H.M.Saxby - First printed in Australian Family Physician Volume 2, No. 1 – February 1973 p45