THE LATE DR CURRIE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 12 January 1940, Page 8

THE LATE DR CURRIE

A TRIBUTE (By One of his old Patients) It was Shakespeare who wrote “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” Alas that this should so often prove to be true. How often do good men and women spend their lives working for the good of others, receiving but scant thanks or appreciation for their outstanding service while they are living. This is more or less true of our late lamented doctor. It was not till word was passed round Richmond early on Wednesday morning the 20th December that “our doctor,” passed away last night that the full knowledge of Doctor Currie’s great kindness was realised by the public. A pall of gloom brooded over the borough; little else was mentioned but the doctor’s many acts of kindness and practical sympathy with his patients. At his funeral on the afternoon of the 21st there was outward and visible evidence of how deeply the doctor had endeared himself to his many patients. An impressive peroration was delivered at the graveside by the Rev. W. Fairlie Evans, an old friend of the doctor’s parents in which he mentioned tl. beauty of his youthful environment. It is written in Corinthians 13th chapter: “And now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity these three; but the greatest of these is Charity.” While our late doctor was liberally endowed with all of these good gifts his outstanding trait was the best of the three, Charity. The doctor was always too busy to take part in any local function. He played an occasional game of golf, often to be called away in the midst of a round to attend to a patient. Someone wrote: “He who loveth flowers and little children is not far from the grace of God.” Doctor Currie was an ardent lover of nature and flowers while no man could love and enjoy the companionship of his children more than he did He possessed to a marked degree the God-given sense of humour which enabeld him to always see the bright side of things. He was a man who thoroughly enjoyed life and was immensely interested in his profession of which he was a highly skilled exponent.

The doctor was a genuine Christian gentleman, one who believed in putting his Christian faith into practice rather than merely professing the theory of it and letting it rest there as so many are prone to do. He was constantly going about doing good. He comforted the widow and the fatherless. He healed the sick and encouraged the poor. He was especially kind to and sympathetic with his aged patients who all said, “We can always rely on our kind doctor to help us round the last lap of life.” Owing to the high standard of his skill as a surgeon he saved many lives that lacking the benefit of his skill would have been lost. Finally when he realised that death was about to claim one or more of his patients he gave them inspiration and consolation by helping them down through the dark valley into the rest and.peace of the realm beyond the grave. May our doctor rest from his labours in peace.