Yesterday, I rang my regular medical centre to make an appointment with my GP, and I was told that Dr. Ellis – whom I had last seen earlier this year – had retired back in July.

I still made an appointment with another GP there, but it was a pity that Dr. Ellis was now gone.

Dr. Ellis had been my regular GP for several years. I saw him for things apart from my depression and OCD, which is handled by my psychiatrist, and he had always been very friendly and helpful.

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I had an especially interesting and amusing appointment with Dr. Ellis back in mid-2009 when I had to take a check-up that included an eye-test.

As the check-up began, Dr. Ellis suddenly picked up his iPhone – which at first annoyed me. We were in the middle of a medical appointment – and he was checking his fucking iPhone?!?

Next, Dr. Ellis held up his iPhone to me to show an eye-chart on his screen – which annoyed me even further. Now he was being trying to be CUTE?!?

Then he told me to start reading aloud from the eye-chart – and then the penny dropped.

I read all letters correctly, passed the test and mentally scolded myself for being such a knee-jerk iPhone-user-stereotyping cranky bastard.

After that, Dr. Ellis showed me some of the other very helpful apps that he used, like an ECG resource and a program for managing the 45 pregnant women that he was looking after at the time.

As well, there was the app that he always showed to his grandchildren whenever they got too loud – a noise monitor. They always went quiet after seeing that, Dr. Ellis said with a smile.

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In mid-2011, when my previous mobile ‘phone began dying, I replaced it with my current iPhone.

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A few hours after I’d rung the medical centre, I was thinking about Dr. Ellis again and wondering if there was perhaps a way to maybe contact him and say thanks, so I went to Google.

A moment later, I was reading this SMH article from earlier this year that features the photo at the head of this post – and to the right of Dr. Ellis in the background is perhaps the same chair where I sat for my several appointments and that eye-test.

When I finished reading the article, I was stunned and saddened.

Dr. Ellis, thank you very much and all the best.