Dewsbury surgeon Clive White honoured at surprise event at the Oakwell Centre

The surprise event - which took place in the Oakwell Centre at Dewsbury District Hospital - was held for Mr White to honour his 50 years’ service.

Dr Karen Stone, The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s medical director, paid tribute to Mr White’s achievements during a heart-warming speech during the event, as she handed over the certificate, along with a set of engraved wine glasses as a gesture from his colleagues.

She said: “Clive is a well-known, well-loved member of staff whose contribution to our Trust’s history is as evident as his commitment to the development of the many professionals he has trained throughout his career.”

A medical student in 1965, Mr White’s incredible career started when he began working for the NHS as a houseman in 1970.

Three years later, Mr White was appointed as surgical registrar at Christie’s Hospital in Manchester and senior registrar at Bradford Royal Infirmary where he performed the hospital’s first ever liver resection.

Mr White started as a consultant general surgeon at Dewsbury District Hospital on Halifax Road in 1984, carrying out operations from aortic aneurysm repairs and acute bowel surgery, to pancreatic surgery, thyroid surgery and much more besides.

He was also the pioneer of laparoscopic surgery in the trust and, over thirty years ago, was the first surgeon to carry out a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) and subsequently a laparoscopic hernia repair.

Aside from his busy medical career, Mr White has been running a working farm since 1985, where he has a herd of over 50 rare breed longhorn cattle.

In 2010, he started farming in Nidderdale where he continued his passion farming and conservation.

Mr White is also a very keen botanist and has recently undertaken an Open University degree in mathematics. He recently became a project manager of the Darley Beck Curlew conservation project - one of the first studies in the country set up in an attempt to document the decline of the curlew bird.

He continues to work at Dewsbury District Hospital on a part-time basis.