History of AMSANZ

An Aviation Medical Society was founded in 1949 as the Special Group in Aviation Medicine within the Australian Branch of the British Medical Association. It subsequently became the Aviation Medical Society of Australia.

In 1972, a New Zealand Branch was formed and the parent Society changed its name to the Aviation Medical Society of Australia and New Zealand. AMSANZ became an incorporated society (in Australia) in 1978.

After a couple of years of discussion between the two countries, finally at the 1996 AGM (part of a Triennial Conference shared with our Australian colleagues), it was agreed that the two bodies should be incorporated separately in each of the two countries. Thus the New Zealand Branch became a separate Aviation Medical Society of Australia and New Zealand (New Zealand) Inc, and was incorporated in New Zealand on 29 January 1997.

For a while this led to there being 2 societies with rather similar names. To avoid confusion, we referred to them as AMSANZ-Australia & AMSANZ-New Zealand.

In 2003 AMSANZ-Australia changed its name to Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ASAM).

•   AMSANZ-New Zealand is closely associated with the Patterson Trust. This is a charitable trust established with the purpose of fostering aviation medicine in New Zealand. The trust is named after Douglas Patterson who was the last General Manager of National Airways Corporation (NAC) which later became the internal division of Air New Zealand. Doug Patterson had a lifetime interest in aviation and was a great supporter of the Society. The Patterson Trust sponsors an overseas lecturer each year to present papers at the annual conference.

•   ASAM has a similar trust, the John Lane Trust. John Lane was a long time Principal Medical Officer of the Australian CAA. He remained an active member of the society in Victoria, Australia, until his death on 21 January 1999. The John Lane Trust also sponsors an annual speaker.

•   The two societies have separate annual conferences, usually a week apart, so that Patterson and John Lane Visiting Lecturers may visit both countries.