Dr David Sabiston Picture HB Today
Te Whatu Ora-Tairāwhiti nurse leader and radiology manager Debbie Cordiner pays tribute to ophthalmologist David Sabiston who passed away two weeks ago. David helped so many people in Tairāwhiti to see again, she said
For those of you who remember Dr David Sabiston (“Sabo” to many of us) who worked here at Tairāwhiti District Health between approximately 2005 and 2008, I would encourage you to remember the great man, and the exceptional service he provided to many patients here in our community.
Sabo passed away last week, a day after his 91st birthday.
Dr Sabiston was widely known and appreciated in the world of ophthalmology, assisting many patients on the East Coast, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay areas to see again.
He worked in very remote places all over the world, helping give sight to disadvantaged communities.
I first learnt of Dr Sabiston as a very small child.
His name was very popular in our home growing up. He successfully operated on my mum and provided her with a corneal graft and the gift of sight when she had two very young daughters.
We heard a lot about Dr Sabiston and his professional skills, but most importantly his kindness to my mum as a patient of his when she was nursed at Hawke’s Bay Hospital for seven weeks while the graft took.
It’s not surprising that the graft is still intact today.
I was always fascinated by “eyes” so it wasn’t really surprising that my nursing career took me down the path of ophthalmology where I became the eye nurse here for 14 years.
At one ophthalmology conference, Sabo was the guest speaker. He talked about being the ophthalmologist/doctor for the 2000 Olympic Games. His speech was fascinating and highly entertaining.
I introduced myself to Dr Sabiston and he immediately knew who my mum was. We chatted about his career, and he asked me how things were in Gisborne. I explained that we were struggling to find an ophthalmologist.
He informed me that he might be interested in doing a locum to “help out”.
I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to get back to Gisborne to put the wheels in motion.
We ended up having Sabo come to Gisborne for about three years.
He would come for two or three days a week and help out.
He wasn’t a young man at this time, but he provided an amazing service to the people of Tairāwhiti during a very difficult recruiting period.
He would take a 15-minute nap in the eye clinic after lunch that would recharge him to get through the afternoon clinic.
The patients of the Tairāwhiti region have benefited hugely from the professional skills of this great ophthalmologist.
I know I was very thankful to have him help us out as he did, and to have him as a friend.
Sabo is survived by his wife and very loving family.
Known to friends and family as “Sabo” or “DW”, David Sabiston died on June 2 at Taradale Masonic Rest Home.
Born in Kaikoura and having gone to high school at St Andrew’s College, he is survived by wife of 65 years Gretchen (nee Prins), whom he married soon after moving to Napier in 1957.
He is also survived by daughter Jane Barr and son Anthony, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Away from the surgery of ophthalmology, Dr Sabiston was a patron of Napier’s oldest bowling club, Bluff Hill, was actively involved with the Napier Park Racing Club and HB Racing Inc, and was a past president of the Rotary Club of Napier, having in 1985 become a recipient of Rotary International’s Paul Harris Medal.
In 2010 he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the New Year Honours List for services to ophthalmology and the community.