VALE ROBERT (BOB) M COOK AM
Bob was inducted on 4th December, 1981, with the classification "Oral Surgery". He was an eminent Oral Surgeon recognised internationally at the highest level.
Since joining our Club he has been a member of the East Timor, Welfare of the Elderly, Advertising, Rotary Centenary and a group member and captain of the Mornington Peninsula and Toorak 1 Groups.
Bob was born in New Zealand in 1928, his family came to Australia in 1936. He was educated at Scotch College and the University of Melbourne graduating in Dentistry in 1952.
In 1953 Bob became the first resident Dental Officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He then undertook additional training in Oral Surgery in England, 1955-57, completing a Fellowship in Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1956 and his Master of Dental Science in Melbourne in 1958.
Bob practised as a specialist Oral Surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Prince Henry's Hospital and the Western General Hospital.
In 1971, he was the Senior Dental Surgeon and Oral Surgeon to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and served on the Council of the Royal Dental Hospital from 1965-1978 and in 1964 served as President of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Dental Association, and President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Oral Surgeons 1978-1981.
Bob served in The Royal Australian Navy active reserve 1959 - 73 with the rank of Surgeon Lt. Commander (D) and was a Consultant Oral Surgeon to the Navy in 1963.
In 1989 Bob was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his commitment to maxillofacial surgery and teaching with the dental faculty and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
In 2015 Bob and Gillian established through the University of Melbourne in perpetuity, the Robert and Gillian Cook Family Award Trust whose purpose is to encourage students to pursue postgraduate educational opportunities related to the area of oral and maxillofacial surgery research and education at the Melbourne Dental School.
Bob and his wife Gillian have four children and nine grandchildren and once owned a Simmental Cattle Stud at Flinders which kept them both busy on weekends. Their cattle stud at Flinders was a magnificent property, his breeding program was very successful, and the view over the Western Entrance to Western Port Bay was magnificent.
He was a very keen skier and enjoyed skiing overseas.
Since joining our Club Bob has been an enthusiastic contributor, a supporter of the Rotary Foundation achieving a Paul Harris Fellow and a strong participant of all Club events and appeals.
Never sat when he could stand, never stood when he could walk, never walked when he could run. Often skied, socialised, farmed and travelled.
A funeral was held on Friday and a celebration of Bob's life will be held at a later date once restrictions ease.
