Paul McCartney

Inducted onto the Heritage Roll of Honour 2013

Paul McCartney was born in London on 5 February 1961 to Peter and Penelope both of whom are doctors. His parents met in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

The McCartney family moved to Hobart from South Africa in 1972,a great adventure for 11 year-old Paul who commenced his Australian schooling as a Year 7 student at Austins Ferry, whilst younger brother Bernard attended St Peter's and younger sister Anne at Mount Carmel.

Paul proved to be an outstanding student. He went on to be Dux of the College in 1977 and gained a University Exhibition (having finished 5th in the State HSC results). His bio from the 1977 Year Book reads:  Has attended St Virgil’s since 1973 and was elected a Prefect in 1977.   He has studied Science, gaining first place in four subjects this year. 

Paul’s success has not been confined to his academic work. He won the Royal Commonwealth Society’s award for the best boy speaker in the Southern Region. He was also a member of the Soccer and Hockey teams. (The debating, soccer and hockey teams took all before them in that year).

Paul studied with distinction at the University of Tasmania for the ensuing 6 years.

Distinctions and Prizes

1980 :          BMedSci, University of Tasmania

1983 :          MBBS, University of Tasmania   (MBBS : Medical Bachelor of Surgery)

1982:           Kathleen Menzies Travelling Scholarship

1983:           Lady Cameron Prize in Community Health

1983:           G.E. Clements Prize

Paul’s chosen specialist area became Ophthalmology. His further studies and work took him to the UK, Canada, Fiji, and New South Wales before returning to Tasmania in 1990

He spent some time working with the renowned Professor Fred Hollows.

He has been accepted as 

• Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists      

• Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

• Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (UK)

Paul is the principal of Hobart Eye Surgeons, which he established in 1998. He is a consultant ophthalmologist with considerable clinical, surgical, research and teaching experience and has been Head of Ophthalmology at the Royal Hobart Hospital for 12 years.

He is a Clinical Associate Professor at University of Tasmania.

Dr McCartney is actively involved with the East Timor Eye Project, teaching and performing surgery in Timor Leste and implementing a cataract audit program for this volunteer organisation in the world’s newest country.

Since the project started in the year 2000, the team has:

• Performed more than 6,500 eye operations and treatments

• Provided eye consultations to over 57,000 Timorese

• Dispensed 32,000 spectacles

• Supported training of Timor Leste’s first ophthalmologist

• Established sub-speciality ophthalmology programs including corneal and retinal surgery

• Successfully performed the first corneal transplant surgeries in Timor in 2009

• Established a nurse upskilling program

Paul and his wife Asha have three children – Lara, Matt and Clair. 

The family has an affinity with yachting – Paul is Chairman of the National Executive of the International Cadet Class Association of Australia.

Paul has had numerous papers published in medical journals, been engaged as a speaker  in ophthalmology seminars both nationally and internationally, and is an office bearer and member of many committees associated with his specialist area. Dr McCartney is currently recognised nationally and internationally as an ophthalmic surgeon at the leading edge of cataract surgery.