After a remarkable career, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Professor Raymond Williamson, will be retiring soon.
Professor Raymond Williamson has a long reputation as a respected Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, with qualifications including BDS (Sydney), MDSc (UWA), PhD (UWA), FRACDS (Aus), FFDRCS (Ireland), FDSRCS (England), FRACDS (OMS), FICD and is Life Member of the International Association of OMS. He has also worked In Sports Medicine, Anthropology and Archaeology with his main interest in Egyptology. He was the first person in Australia to carry out CT scans in Egyptian Mummies in the early 1990s, and was a founding member of the Ancient Egypt Society of Western Australia. He has worked as an archaeologist in Egypt as part of the Macquarie University Egyptian Excavation Team on a site called Qift, north of Luxor, Egypt and on the restoration of mummies in the Cairo Museum.
He began his career in the Royal Australian Navy as a Dental Officer, Diving Officer and he trained in Underwater Medicine. He was in charge of the only Recompression Chamber here in WA and oversaw treatment of all diving accidents, including the Bends from all over Western Australia. He rose to the rank of Surgeon Commander before transferring to the RAN Reserve to begin his training in OMS here in Perth. On completion of his training, he was offered a position at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, UK. On return from the UK to Perth, Prof Williamson took up a joint appointment with the UWA Dental School and Royal Perth Hospital. During his 33 years at UWA and Royal Perth Hospital, as Head of OMS, he oversaw the OMS undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programs was the Western Australian Coordinator of OMS Training. In addition, he was on the RACDS College Board of Surgeons as the WA representative.
He was also a member of the Specialist Medical Team for the Wallabies Rugby Union team, Western Force Rugby Union team and the WA Reds Rugby League team. He also toured the UK as a Medical Officer for his son’s Rugby Team.
In 2013 Prof Williamson was head hunted for the position of the Head of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Radiology at Queens University and Queen Victoria Hospital in Belfast, UK. While in Belfast Prof Williamson gained a five Accreditation for the University.
Prof Williamson returned to the Gold Coast in 2016 and took up a position at Bond University. Following retirement from Bond University in 2020, he returned to Perth where he was offered a position in Private Practice and participated in teaching courses at CTEC and UWA.
When asked what initially drew him to study dentistry, Raymond reveals his grandfather was a dentist. The decision to later specialise in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery was made because he saw OMS gave a greater opportunity to deal with patients’ facial problems.
“(Highlights of my career is) a difficult question, but I would answer it by saying my career in OMS has allowed me to carry my knowledge and expertise into many other fields, ensuring I have been able to have a broad and full experience of the tapestry of life as well as leaving a legacy of having the pleasure of teaching all the people under my guidance the over the years,” he says.
To someone considering specialising in oral and maxillofacial surgery, Raymond says: “OMS is the longest training program of any dental or medical specialty, so it will take dedication and commitment but will give a rewarding and fulfilling career.”
Retirement will not mean slowing down for Raymond – he plans to continue swimming three kilometres a day and plans to get back to his archaeology digs and lots of travel. He will also continue to be part of training courses at CTEC and UWA.
Messages for Raymond Williamson
“I first met Ray Williamson when I returned from London in the early 80s. Ray had moved to Perth with the Navy, and we had a common goal of Specialising in Dentistry. We have kept in touch professionally over our entire careers. Ray’s clinical and academic career has been so varied and exceptional.
Most recently, he and his wife Jan, having returned to Perth after considerable family challenges, and as we both move towards the end of our careers, we have re-engaged and worked clinically again together with Dieter Gebauer in Mount Lawley.
Above all things, Ray’s inquisitive nature, his life long quest for answers, has led him to explore deeply into so many fields including receiving his PhD in Head and Neck Radiation Biology, and external to dentistry, his love of Archaeology, Underwater and Sports Medicine, rugby and other passions, but to name a few.
On a lighter note, in 1997, I remember having a very deep discussion about the recently released, Mercedes SLK 230 convertible roadster. I’d had the first one to come into Western Australia and Ray was getting impatient, still being on the 18-month waitlist.
Ray arranged to come around and have a drive and see if he was going to wait. We roared around the eastern suburbs with the top down and were like a couple of kids.
I’m uncertain if Ray still has his, unlikely due to his International career, but I still have mine. Maybe it’s time to go for another ride.
A loyal colleague and teacher to so many, we all congratulate Ray and wish him, the very best in his upcoming retirement.”
Dr John Owen AM, Orthodontist
“The most important memory that I have of Ray was that he was instrumental in organising and applying the new regulations at that time for training for the RACDS Maxillofacial exam and qualification. This required the coordination of consultants and trainees passing through Royal Perth Hospital, Charles Gairdner Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital (now Perth Children’s Hospital). This took some doing, to be sure that the trainees fulfilled requirements for training and examination. He also needed to make sure that the Consultants were aware of the requirements. Ray was always approachable, sympathetic and easy to deal with as the Head of Department. He is definitely worthy of special recognition.”
Dr Ian Rosenberg, Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgeon
“I found Ray a very diligent, dedicated and eager trainee who was both inquisitive and able to grasp his subject enthusiastically with great determination to get things right and perform his duties with professional and skilled ability.
Ray went on after finishing his training to a position in the University where he acquitted himself admirably as both a clinician and teacher, being involved in the training of many of current Maxillofacial surgeons in WA and some from the Eastern states.
Due to our very various commitments at different hospitals, I rarely had the opportunity to have any ongoing clinical or professional involvement with Ray apart from catching up at many OMFS Association meetings and conferences at which I always saw Ray in a very involved and committed role.”
Mr Dennis Gregory, Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgeon
“Prof Williamson has had oversight of the training a significant number of Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons who are providing a service to the West Australian community and has educated many general dentists over a long and distinguished academic career. He is the only OMS in west Australia who has completed a PhD and has had an immeasurable impact on the West Australian dental community. I am grateful for the influence you have had over my training and career, and I wish you the best in your retirement.”
A/Prof Dieter Gebauer, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
