"Good Morning, my name is Professor Robert Owen and I was born in Chwilog in the Lleyn Peninsula the son of a Farmer and a monoglot Welsh speaker until I was eight years old. After attending the local Primary and Grammar Schools I studied Medicine at Guy's Hospital in London followed by three years in the Royal Air Force where I met my Wife Meg. Together we had two Children and Five Grandchildren."

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"Following Orthopaedic Training - latterly in Liverpool - and an ABC Fellowship I was appointed Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry and North Wales Hospitals at Rhyl and Abergele where I introduced the Charnley Arthroplasty complete with the 'Greenhouse enclosure' to the first centre (Abergele) outside of Wrightington. This came about through my friendship with Charnley in the late 1960's when he taught me the operation."

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"I really enjoyed my time in Rhyl and Abergele and it was with some reluctance that - in the middle of my career - I moved to Liverpool as Professor at The Royal Liverpool Hospital and Alder Hey Children's Hospital where I concentrated my Clinical Practice in Children, whilst maintaining a general practice including Hip and Knee Arthroplasty at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. I was heavily involved in the Liverpool MCh(Orth) course."

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"Liverpool is the Home of Orthopaedics and I was one in a long line of Orthopaedic Surgeons who trained and worked in Liverpool before moving on to other parts of the Country and the World"

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"In 1921, Liverpool University introduced a board of Orthopaedic Surgery of which Sir Robert Jones and Thomas Porter Mc. Murray were both leading lights.

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The board in turn established a Mastership of Orthopaedic Surgery Degree - MCh Orth.

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The first candidate to earn this degree Was E.M.B.Vance in 1924."

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"In 1926, a further three degrees were awarded, recipients included Bryan Mac. Farland and Reginald Watson-Jones. By 1991 700 graduates had been recorded." 

 

"I am grateful to Mr David Adams - Past CEO British Orthopaedic Association for this information"