He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Cathie, and five of his children – Jane, John, Harriet, Georgina and Robert, as well as 14 grandchildren, all of whom he was most proud.

Dr Oakeshott’s life of service was recognised by the Council for the Order of Australia in 1996 for “service to medicine at national and international levels in the fields of rehabilitation medicine and disability, and to education.” 

He was appointed Associate Adjunct Professor in Medicine at Sydney University, his alma mater, in the same year.

Dr Oakeshott was born in Lismore in 1930, becoming vice-captain of Lismore High School, and participating at higher levels in rugby league, rowing, and tennis.  His teenage years were shadowed by the war, and deeply affected by the loss of his own father in the infamous Sandakan death marches. 

It was on his 15th birthday, the 27th October 1945, (well after Victory in the Pacific celebrations in mid-August 1945) that the death notice was delivered to the family door.  At a time of national post-war celebration, this timing, and the loss itself, were profound.

After studying medicine at Sydney University and enjoying his college years at St Andrews College, Dr Oakeshott completed his training in Sydney, and moved to Broken Hill, so as to collect the 1000 pound remote bonus.  He used this to pay for his travel to Edinburgh, Scotland, to complete his surgical fellowships in general surgery. On his return, the remainder of the 1960s were spent in hectic medical practices briefly in Canberra, followed by a longer return home to Lismore.

While home, Dr Oakeshott became president of the Lismore Arts Council and Lismore City Rugby Club, as well as founding President of Summerland House with No Steps at Alstonville.

At the time, clinical advice for post-heart condition patients was to do very little, whereas Oakeshott became increasingly interested in exploring the role of exercise in recovery for his own patients. His interest in rehabilitation medicine had sparked.

In 1973, Dr Oakeshott accepted a position in the Spinal Injuries Unit at Royal Perth Hospital.  From this, he became Perth’s first specialist in rehabilitation medicine, as well as Vice Patron of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Western Australia.

In 1975, Dr Oakeshott led the Australian Team to the first Far East Asian and South Pacific Games (FESPIC Games) in Kyoto, Japan, which later proved to be a forerunner of the Para-Olympic movement. 

As one of the first occasions for international sporting competition for people with disabilities, it became a birthplace for ideas around a range of sports such as wheelchair tennis, basketball and rugby.

In 1976, he returned to Sydney’s Royal North Shore and Ryde Rehabilitation Hospitals and helped establish the Royal Australasian College of Rehabilitation, including two years as President, and the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), including a role as Chairman of the Board of Censors for four years. 

The 1980s saw Dr Oakeshott expand into international rehabilitation medicine work.  He led an Australian Medical team to Qatar in the Middle East to establish a rehabilitation hospital network, and did consultancy work with the World Health Organisation in Bangladesh, the Phillipines, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Brunei.  He was invited to speak in China, Japan and the Royal Society of Medicine in London, and worked as a Consultant to the Ministry of Health in Singapore.

Because of his work, Dr Oakeshott became president of the International Rehabilitation Medicine Association (IRMA). He was also the Australian Representative on the Medical Commission of Rehabilitation International.   

Dr Oakeshott was secretary to the Rehabilitation Medicine section within the Australian Medical Association (AMA) for 16 years, a council member for the Royal Blind Society for six years, a Board Member for Technical Aid to the Disabled (TAD) for eight years, inaugural President of the Australian Council for Rehabilitation of the Disabled-NSW (ACROD), and a Surveyor for the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. 

He was also an advisory committee member to a wide number of bodies, including the NSW Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Rehabilitation Groups, the NSW Independent Living Centre, the Podiatry Survey Committee, and Chair of the Horticultural Therapy Society of NSW. 

As an example of Dr Oakeshott’s philosophy and work, for six years, he was also Chair of the Wareemba Community Living program, which developed and implemented community-based housing for people with brain injuries who were previously housed in psychiatric facilities.

As senior specialist in rehabilitation medicine at Royal North Shore and Director of Clinical Services at Ryde Rehabilitation Centre for 19 years, Dr Oakeshott was responsible for the establishment of NSW’s first brain injury rehabilitation unit, its first spinal injury rehabilitation unit, its first accredited vocational rehabilitation unit, its first Chair of Rehabilitation medicine, its first chair of developmental disability studies, the Orthotic and Prosthetic Unit at Royal North Shore, the Rehabilitation Engineering Units at Royal North Shore and Ryde, and the dedicated position of clinical neuropsychologist at Royal North Shore.

Dr Oakeshott remained optimistic for people no matter what their physical or mental capacity.  He saw the individual, and worked towards full inclusion for that individual, and their families. 

This is best captured in his own words, spoken on a visit to Coffs Harbour in 1978 when helping establish the Coffs Harbour Rehabilitation Unit, and recorded by the local paper:  “the aims of rehabilitation medicine are to restore the patient to maximum physical independence with consequent maximum mobility, social integration, economic independence and vocational-recreation satisfaction”. 

His life of work was dedicated to this philosophy, to the direct and life-changing benefit of many.

Dr Oakeshott was anything but one-dimensional.  He was a Major in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (Army Reserve), developed an Australian Lowline cattle stud, loved his Triton Woodworking group, and dined out on his champion vegetable award from the Robertson Show. 

Fun-loving and challenging, he showed curiosity in a wide number of fields, from family-history, to religion, to banksias, to astronomy, to the highs and lows of Australian rugby.  

Bob Oakeshott valued life.  And by giving so much of himself to others, he lived a life of value.  His contribution will be celebrated at the Royal Automobile Club, Sydney on Wednesday, November 9, from 10am-12.30pm.  For individuals or organisations wishing to attend, contact murrayoak@gmail.com for further details. 

- Rob Oakeshott, the author, is former Lyne MP