Clifford Warmbrunn MB BS

Banks, Trevor A

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2008.tb02152.x

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The community of Belmont, Victoria, lost a respected member with the death of Clifford Warmbrunn on 21 June 2008. His life was directed by his two passions: general practice and the Christian church.

Cliff was born on 15 November 1933 in Melbourne. He attended Carey Baptist Grammar School and studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1959. In 1963, he joined the Belmont Medical Clinic in Geelong as a general practitioner.

For 35 years, Cliff conscientiously cared for patients in the Belmont community. His work as a GP was also an avenue for expressing his Christian faith. As the Belmont practice expanded and took on GP trainees, so did his responsibilities, and he became the senior partner. He also became involved in Clockwork, a service to adolescents established under the auspices of the Geelong Division of General Practice. This enabled him to meet the needs of young people in a more informal setting than structured general practice. During his time at Belmont he served a term as Chairman of the Geelong Subdivision of the Australian Medical Association.

After retirement from full-time medical practice in 1998, Cliff continued to do locum work in the district and to be involved with Clockwork. His special interest in retirement was his Chairmanship of Encompass, a support service for people with disabilities — a position he reluctantly relinquished as his health deteriorated.

Always a committed Christian, Cliff managed to fit Christian leadership into his busy life. At Belmont Church of Christ, where he took up membership on arrival in Geelong, he was soon a member of the Congregational Council and then Chairman. His broader interests led to him serving on state and national committees of Churches of Christ. In particular, he was Chairman of the Department of Home Missions and Evangelism for a number of years and President of Churches of Christ in Victoria and Tasmania in 1985–1986.

Early in 2008, Cliff’s prostatic malignancy escaped control and he was cared for lovingly at home by his wife, Helen. He is survived by Helen, their children John, Anne and Andrew, and six grandchildren.

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Trevor A Banks

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