"Why couldn't anyone make going to the dentist as comfortable as possible, and choose fillings that lasted as long as possible?
“I decided to choose dentistry as a profession as a result of encouragement from the dentist I had looking after me when I was about 16. He loved what he did and he took the trouble to encourage me to see the possibilities of a life helping people to look after their teeth. When young people have a lot of dental treatment they often have one of two reactions: either they never want to see a dentist again, or (perhaps more rarely!) they take their own health seriously and work hard to cut down dentral visits. That’s what happened to me, if in an extreme way.  I can remember phoning that guy's office one day to ask why they hadn’t sent me a six-month reminder letter. It turned out they were a month behind in sending their letters. They thought I was...weird. And I probably am a little!

After graduation, Patrick worked in a variety of practices in suburban Sydney, including Gladesville, Manly, and the Ryde area. He combined a busy general practice with part-time teaching for both the university faculty of dentistry and TAFE. For many years, Patrick was responsible for delivering courses for dental assistants in both general dentistry and radiography. He still enjoys the odd bit of teaching which is a bit of family tradition as both his mum and dad were involved in education.

“The thing I am most interested in, within my profession, and in my practice, are the ideas of quality and longevity. Without high quality treatment, things don't last, and having treatment that lasts is very important, both to your health and to your enjoyment of life.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

I have always like this quotation and it's usually attributed to Aristotle, but, in writing this, I found a link that suggested otherwise; you can make up your own mind here. In any event, after many enjoyable years in Dentistry, I can certainly attest to repeatedly doing my best, and it is not an act, but a habit to produce an excellent result for my patients.

In my dental office, we encourage your desire for health and we respect your choices. We all strive for perfection in communication and advice, in the treatment we offer and the procedures we carry out.”

After marrying Evelyn, they both decided to choose the quiet Southern Highlands town of Moss Vale to raise their family. Patrick was invited to join what was then the only practice in Moss Vale in 1989 and became a partner in 1990. Over the next decade they had three boys, Lachlan, Cameron and Duncan.

His two original partners retired, and Patrick was managing partner for a while. In 2002, he grew tired of the gloomy outlook of the dated premises and bleak views of the Moss Vale Courthouse and moved to the current location in Elizabeth Street.

"Woodville House is a wonderfully light-filled space with a very pleasant outlook. It's a great place to work and watch the seasons unfold."

Patrick has been involved in the wider profession for most of his career. He was elected as a State Councilor for the Australian Dental Association New South Wales Branch in 1988, stepping down only recently. He was elected as a member of the Dental Board of NSW in 1994, where he served as Chairman of the Complaints Committee for 4 years. He has held many positions within ADA NSW Branch, including a stint as Vice-President.  He is quite proud of achievements there, which have included a re-writing of the Code of Ethics for the state branch, which for the first time incorporated reference to the ‘Four Principles’ of Bioethics.

Patrick was also instrumental in the creation of the ADA’s Centre for Professional Dental Development, as well as being a founding director of this company which creates material for continuing education, lectures for dentists and their staff, audio, and video training products for dentists all over Australia and New Zealand. This has helped combine his interest in advancing the general standards within the profession and his interest in teaching. One of the exciting projects created by this group was the ‘Digital Media Library’.  This facility is kind of like YouTube for dentists, with a wide variety of educational videos and lectures, some of which Patrick created. It was eventually taken over by the National ADA and now serves dentists all over Australia. In 2016 he was elected as a Federal Councilor of the ADA. During his time in this position, he served as Chair of the National Dental Education and Training Committee, after also serving as a Clinical Media Advisor, interviewer and content developer for ADA, creating training resources including audio interviews, and training videos. He enjoyed his time as the lead interviewer for the Australian Dental Association’s ‘Dental Files’ series, an educational product that provides audio interviews and video lectures to dentists all over Australia. In 2016, Patrick was honored to receive the Federal ADA's Valuable Service Award for his work in continuing education and media. His most recent series is the popular 'PharmaAdvice' podcast where he and Clinical Pharmacist Dr Geraldine Moses AM conduct bi-monthly chats about all things pharmacological for Australian dentists. He also serves as an occasional interviewer and presenter for 'A Case In Points' video educational series for the ADA

Patrick is the immediate Past-President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, after having served as national secretary and treasurer since 2001. The Academy is an international dental honour society established in memory of an extraordinary French dentist, considered the father of modern dentistry.

He is also a fellow of the International College of Dentistry. and was recently admitted as a fellow of the Academy of Dentistry International.

He was recently made a Life Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy in recognition of his deep involvement in the Academy and the profession at large.