Driving Force For Organ Donors And Recipients

The Age

Friday June 8, 2007

Michael Muschamp

MARK COCKS, AM

TRANSPLANT EXECUTIVE

10-10-1952- 20-4-2007

MARK Cocks, the founding chief executive officer and executive director of Transplant Australia, has died in Sydney after being diagnosed with cancer last year.

Transplant Australia was formed in 1979, and Cocks became its driving force. The organisation helps transplant recipients, people undergoing dialysis treatment and those awaiting transplants. It also helps donor families and medical professionals involved in organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Born in Adelaide to Keith and Ann, both successful business leaders, Cocks excelled in many sports, most notably tennis. He represented Australia in tennis in the late 1960s, and was ranked in the top 100 in the '70s, playing at Wimbledon and reaching the last 16 in the '72 Australian Open. He went on to win many "satellite" tournaments, notably in men's doubles events, and worked in New York as the tennis professional at one of that city's major sporting complexes.

He wryly confessed that he sometimes supplemented his earnings by "losing" to wealthy club members, who could boast that they had beaten "the Pro". (Cocks is pictured with his doubles partner, Kerrin Litchfield, a leukaemia sufferer, at a 1996 charity tournament.)

The onset of renal failure in 1976 put a halt to his coaching, and he returned to Australia and had a cadaver kidney transplant in 1978. Only a few days after his operation he resumed playing tennis and beat his transplant surgeon, Professor Ross Sheil. Twelve years later, following further renal failure, Cocks received a donor organ from his younger sister Julie.

He represented Australia in the Transplant Olympics (now the World Transplant Games) in 1980, winning gold in tennis and a bronze in badminton. He was in the Australian team to each succeeding games, winning medals at each, most recently in Canada in 2005.

Cocks was chairman of the organising committee for the 1997 World Games in Sydney, and he served for several years as treasurer of the world body. His presence at this year's games in Thailand will be sadly missed by the international transplant community, which consists of about 40 national bodies.

The World Transplant Games are held every two years; the first Australian games took place in Melbourne in 1988, and were followed, in turn, at venues in all the eastern states. Next year, for the first time, they will be held in Perth.

After the death of the former Test cricketer and Victorian coach David Hookes, Cocks was instrumental in establishing the biennial cricket "Test" between Transplant Australia and its British counterpart, for the David Hookes Memorial Trophy.

Cocks put Transplant Australia on a sound financial footing, and led the organisation to offer a range of transplant-related services.

Among these are support for children awaiting transplants, involvement with the federal and state governments, establishing the World Winter Transplant Games, and obtaining sponsorship and corporate support.

Cocks reasoned that for the organisation to expand and become more relevant, it should include not just those who had received transplants, but donor families as well as those on the waiting lists for transplants.

He was a strong advocate for Aboriginal health, and his advice was sought by both federal and state governments; he served on many committees.

In June last year he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the community in the area of organ donation and transplantation through organ donor awareness - which, of course, is the prime aim of the games.

Later, he was diagnosed with cancer, and despite being on chemotherapy treatment, worked tirelessly for the success of the 2006 Games held in Geelong in October.

Cocks was an inspiration to all who came into contact with him here and overseas. "Mark was widely acknowledged with saving the lives of many Australians through his untiring work," Transplant Australia's chairman, Bernie Morellini, said. "He was a passionate advocate for transplantation, having received two donations himself, thus knowing first-hand the miracle achieved for so many through organ donation."

Hookes' widow, Robyn, said she spoke for many when she said she valued Cocks' support. " I valued our friendship following David's passing. He listened when I wanted to talk, he rang and checked on me and seemed to have the knack of doing this when it was most timely and appreciated, always finding the right words when I needed them most.

"About 20 years before David's death, we first met in an Adelaide restaurant when Mark's mother, a great fan of David's, approached our table singing his praises, closely followed by a very embarrassed son, Mark, who recounted this story to me when we first met after David's death.'

"For me it was a memorable meeting ... a shared memory."

Mark is survived by his wife, Viola, their two children, Stephanie and Alexander, his mother and father, brothers Michael and Peter and his sisters Julie, Janet and Wendy.

Michael Muschamp is a Melbourne writer, who joined Transplant Australia after receiving a heart transplant in 1996. He was assisted by Chris Tew.

© 2007 The Age

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