Remarkable Devadhars call Churton Park home.
Daniel Devadhar vividly remembers the day he first saw his wife. ?Very much, I clearly remember as if it was today, it was under a bougainvillea tree and it was love at first sight,? says Dr Devadhar. Since then the couple has hand-in-hand achieved much for humanity. At the end of 2009 Dr Devadhar was awarded?a NZ?Member of the Order of Merit Honours?for services to medicine?and the community.?The?unique?outcome of this award is that Dr Devadhar and his wife Rose are one of the few couples in NZ who have both been awarded Honours.?In 1999 Rose Devadhar was awarded a QSM for services to the community. ?Rose had tea with Mrs Nixon in the White House once in 1965, when we were invited to a conference in Philadelphia,? he says. The couple moved to New Zealand from India in 1964 when Dr Devadhar was invited to practice medicine here. Having suffered two heart attacks, he credits Rose with helping save his life by staying beside him ?seven days, 24 hours a day? during his second heart by-pass in1994. Rose says, ?We know each other like open books, we still hold hands and are sweethearts?. Married for 53 years, the couple has fed off each other?s support and willingness to help others. Rose?s father was also a surgeon and his charity work in India ?engraved? in her a ?way of living?. She received her award for collecting over $200,000 for community projects; for schools, scouts groups, blind people, and the Mary Potter Hospice. ?I was also given the gold medal for founding a finishing school I ran in Taranaki for 20 years. ?It was about helping ladies to get confident, anyone from 18 to 18 years of age could come,? says Rose. The school was a great success in the region and helped women to achieve scholarships and even win Miss Teen Taranaki. The Devadhars made Churton Park their home in 2008 and are enjoying spending time with their three daughters. ??At the moment we are delighted at not having any commitments, it feel so great to have time with my husband, family and friends,? says Rose. Dr Devadhar?s name appears in every standard medicine textbook as ?Devadhar's operation?, which broke new ground in the field of proctology.
