About USANZ

The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) has a rich and colourful history. The below history is taken from Sally Wilde's Joined Across the Water, A History of the Urological Society of Australasia (Melbourne: Hyland House, 1999).

Early Urology Associations in Australia

In 1914, Sydney urologist Samuel Henry Harris (1887-1936) was appointed as the first full-time specialist urologist in Australasia. In 1927 Harris published his revised version of the Fryer technique for suprapubic prostatectomy. Harris’ mortality rate for his own operation was 2.8% (the lowest internationally published rate) and in 1935, he embarked on a tour to Europe to demonstrate his technique.

In 1935 Sydney Urologist Keith Kirkland wrote to colleagues, inviting them to form a Sydney Urological Association, with membership restricted to full-time urologists. The founding members were Harry Harris, Keith Kirkland, Reginald Bridge, Malcolm Earlam, Colin Edwards, Richard Harris (Harry's brother), John Laidley, Bobby Silverton and Angus Walker-Smith.

Urological Society of Australasia

By the end of 1935 the Sydney Urological Association discussed expanding the geographical scope of the organisation. In March 1936, urologists from Brisbane and New Zealand attended the Sydney Urological Association's meeting and it was proposed to found a Urological Society of Australasia. The inaugural meeting of this new Society was held in Sydney on 7 January 1937.

Further developments occured through the 1930-60s:

  • In 1944, the ASM included a scientific program for the first time
  • In 1948, the Society was incorporated
  • In 1949, the ASM included the first overseas guest, Eric Riches from London
  • In 1958, a meeting was held in Christchurch, New Zealand, beginning a broader rotation of the ASM.
  • In 1963, Canberra hosted a meeting for the first time and it was also attended by the first woman to join the Society; Lorna Sisely, an Associate Member from Melbourne.

The name was changed to the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand in 2006.

Membership of the Society has continued to grow - from 42 Full Members in 1947, just before incorporation to more than 750 members in Australia and New Zealand across all membership classifications in 2020.

Urology Training

Examiners in the specialty of urology for the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College Surgeons were appointed as early as 1947 in New Zealand and 1948 in Australia, but little formal training in urology was available in either country until the 1970s.

In 1976, the RACS Specialist Surgical training committees became Surgical Boards and the Board of Urology was set up, giving far greater control over the examinations for the Fellowship of the RACS in Urology to urologists.

Since 2008, USANZ has administered the Surgical Education and Training Program (SET) in Urology via the RACS. By 2020, there were 87 accredited training posts in urology in Australia and 15 in New Zealand.

Management Team

In 1987, Gail Hill was appointed as the Society’s secretary.

In 1999, following a period as tenant of the RACS in Albion Street, the Society moved to its own premises in Edgecliff.

A full-time CEO was appointed in 2002, reflecting the growth in the Society, the complexities of running the training program and the annual scientific meetings, and the wider role of the Society as the representative of Australian and New Zealand urologists.

Coat of Arms

Original Coat of Arms

Revised Coat of Arms

Historically, the Coat of Arms of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) consists of the following elements:

  • The crest is formed by a lynx, a member of the wild cat family with exceptional vision. The lynx holds aloft an archaic instrument called an Exploratorium in its forepaws, used in the Marian operation for stone, first described by Marianus, Sanctus de Bartella, in his second book Libellus aureus (1543) a landmark text in the history of urology.
  • The mantling (fabric originally used to provide protection both from the impact of sword blows to the helmet and the heat of the sun in battle) is held in place by a wreath which forms the base for the crest, all of which sit atop a visored steel helmet turned to the right.
  • The escutcheon, or shield, is divided vertically in two to represent both Australia and New Zealand and features the charge - a representation of the view seen through a cystoscope of the bladder neck with the lobes of the prostate - a symbol often associated with urology.
  • The supporters standing either side of the shield are St. Cosmos and St. Damian, two early exponents of uroscopy - twin brothers and Christian doctors - both martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian (243-313). The brothers have been the patron saints of barbers and surgeons throughout Europe since the time of Emperor Justinian (482-565).
  • The motto of the Society 'juncta per aquam' appears on the scroll at the bottom of the coat of arms and translates as 'joined across the water' representing the connection between Australia and New Zealand.

In 2011, the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand revised its coat of arms to give it a more contemporary feel and to better represent the organisation and its work in modern communications. The updated Coat of Arms retains all of the main elements from the historical Coat of Arms in a simplified and more streamlined format.

 


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