ACRRM has lost one its true allies with the passing of Honorary Fellow Dr John (Jack) Best on Friday 26 July.  

Dr Best is recognised as an authority in the policy and provision of medical services and medical education in rural, remote and First Nations communities. 

Since the College’s formation, he has been a respected advisor, fierce advocate, and great friend to the College. 

Dr Best held many positions of influence across the health sector, including serving as the inaugural Director of Clinical Training of Victoria’s Murray to Mountains intern training program, Director of Medical Services for five rural health services and Chair of the Alpine Health Credentialing and Privileging Committee for 12 years.  

Nationally, Dr Best has worked as Deputy Secretary-General of the Australian Medical Association;  President of the International Society for Quality in Health Care; Member, Ministerial Advisory Committee on Health Inequalities (2000-2003); Chair, NHMRC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Agenda Working Group (1997-2000); President, Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (RACP); and Chair of the Australian Institute of Political Science  for 18 years. 

Dr Best was contracted in 1999 as a special advisor for the then Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care to undertake a national “stocktake” of rural and remote health. This involved visits to more than 250 communities around Australia and consultation with over 650 people. The wide range of information generated by the “Rural Stocktake” has assisted in commonwealth policy development in rural and remote health service provision. 

Through this work, Dr Best was a key instigator of the development of the national network of University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH) and Rural Clinical Schools (RCS) in Australia.  The UDRH and RCS programs have been significant in supporting medical training outside metropolitan centres, leading to the development of cohorts of medical graduates who establish their careers in rural practice. This program has had considerable success, and he remained involved with policy development in this area.  

For his incredible service, Dr Best was awarded a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 1998, and an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007 “for service to medicine and to public health through support for strategic health research and policy development, and as a contributor to the development of rural and remote health services and medical education programs, particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities and regional Victoria”. 

The College proudly inducted him as an Honorary Fellow in 2007. 

Dr Best was a keen traveller, historian and writer, and in conjunction with his wife Janine Sargeant,   was founding editor of ACRRM’s original magazine, Outback.doc, which for several years in ACRRM’s early development was distributed to every rural doctor in Australia. He also authored three books, wrote poetry, and was a regular contributor to the Medical Journal of Australia, Australian Doctor and Healthcover. Since 2019 Jack published a weekly Blog, thebestmousetap.com.au, with his final contribution published on the morning of his death. 

On behalf of members and staff, we send our condolences to Dr Best’s wife Janine Sargeant, his children, and extended family and friends. 

The funeral will be:
10:30am Monday 12 August at St John the Evangelist Church (cnr Birchgrove Rd and Spring St, Birchgrove, Sydney).  

The memorial will be:
4.00pm Monday 19 August at Trinity College Chapel, University of Melbourne.