When Alan Kerr retired from heart surgery in Auckland at 67, he still had work to do.
His life had taken him from a small farm in Golden Bay to Auckland's Green Lane Hospital, where he helped pioneer heart surgery in New Zealand. In From Golden Bay to Gaza, he recalls his early life, the colleagues who became friends, and the operations that became possible during his career.
A visit to Palestine in 2001 led to nineteen years of volunteer work. Across forty missions, Alan and his colleagues operated on nearly 800 children, while helping train and equip local teams to provide that care themselves.
The documentary The Doctor's Wife captures the experiences of Alan and his wife Hazel, and the daily lives of the families they came to know.
Now in his nineties, Alan writes with humour and affection. These are memories of a lifetime, written with the future of Gaza's children in mind.
