Noelnadesan's Blog

Mr David Young
Orthopaedic Surgeon
MBBS, FRACS (ORTH)
Special Area of Interest:
Sports Injuries, Hip & Knee Surgery

The Sri Lankan National Awards Ceremony was conducted at the BMICH hall on Monday 19th August at 4 pm.
The President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena conferred National Honours on 70 distinguished people among them two non-nationals including Dr David Alexander Young, one of Australia’s most eminent Orthopaedic Surgeons and a generous Philanthropist who together with his wife has made significant financial contributions to the Building of the Accident and Emergency Hospital in Batticaloa.
David Young has conferred the Sri Lankan Ranjana Honour for his services to Sri Lankan sports in general and cricket in particular and more importantly to the Orthopaedic sector of the Sri Lankan medical industry over the past twenty-five years. Due to an important family commitment Dr Young could not be present at the Awards Ceremony, he, therefore, requested Mr Dav Whatmore who initially introduced him to the Cricket scene in Sri Lanka to accept the award on his behalf.

His introduction to Sri Lanka dates back to the 1970’s when he received a picture postcard from his grandfather who visited Sri Lanka on his way to the UK. David was fascinated by the scenery and the pictures of Elephants in that postcard.
When Davenell Whatmore the newly appointed coach of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team invited David to Colombo to help with Orthopaedic care of some of his talented charges that were preparing for the World Cup ODI tournament in 1996, David willingly responded to the call and went to Colombo.
The Sri Lankan Cricket Team went on to win the World Cup beating David’s native country Australia in the final.
Cricket stars including Murali, Sanga, Mahela, Angelo, Rangana and Lasith were among the numerous sports people that sought orthopaedic treatment and care from David. He gave them his attention often without charge as he did for a number of other sportspeople, ruggerites, athletes and sportsmen and women from the less prominent sports.
In addition, David has very selflessly spent countless hours giving the keynote address at Conferences, lecturing and providing surgical advice to members of the Orthopaedic profession.
When the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami hit Sri Lanka, he received a call from Murali to go to the aid of the injured and suffering people. This is generally the time David devotes to spending time with his family but once again, he put his family and his needs aside and left with others on a chartered mercy flight to Sri Lanka. There were other volunteers on this flight as well. David and his team pressed on through horrendous and impassable conditions they encountered on the coastline where in addition to the Tsunami damage conflict existed between the LTTE and Government troops until they reached the East Coast town of Batticaloa. .
David did his utmost and worked at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital in very challenging conditions. He was complimentary of the staff who had worked non-stop for days but was appalled at the lack of resources, instruments and equipment to treat the injured.
It was then that he pledged to return and help build a modern state of the art Accident & Emergency Trauma Treatment Unit at the Batticaloa Hospital.
He approached a Sri Lankan born Australian citizen now living in Melbourne to help him manage the numerous challenges that lay ahead. David couldn’t have made a better choice when he requested Nihal de Run who had a deep love for his motherland and the cultural awareness of both Sri Lanka and Australia to establish a Foundation and raise USD3 million to assist the Sri Lankan Government, Ministry of Health to get the Project done.
In 2018 a great new Accident & Emergency Hospital was opened in Batticaloa and once again David and Margaret Young together with Nihal De Run and other members who support Project BEAP in Melbourne flew to Batticaloa for the opening of the hospital.
When the Easter Sunday bombing took place in Batticaloa, the 69 injured were first taken to that A&E trauma treatment unit for care. Some who were badly injured didn’t survive.
David Young once again made a significant financial donation towards the rehabilitation of men, women and children who have been affected by the atrocities that took place on Easter Sunday.
We applaud David Young who has made more than 50 visits to Sri Lanka over the past 25 years and hopes to continue his support of the Sri Lankan people through teaching, training and treating those in need of relief through Orthopedic treatment.

From Nihal deRun