Cassel Research Centre

Forensic psychiatrists, psychologists, pathologists and neurologists were astonished how Brian survived the long Melb-NY return flight for the OCT American Board of Forensic Examiners 1999 AGM convened at the Waldorf Astoria. His acute pain was almost beyond endurance. The NY voyage however, was achieved in agony and against his doctor’s advice.

Straight after five weeks 6 Million Volts daily radiotherapy and two weeks adjunct chemotherapy, return tickets were booked. The long air flights were taken against medical advice and his life expectancy use-by-date was extended for the fourth time. To their shock on returning from the US, it was explained that his five weeks intensive radiotherapy and chemo before NY were for” acute symptom palliation”. Brian and his wife had not accepted his initial use-by-date from JUL 1998 was “only three months” post-diagnosis, although this was based on gastroscopies, biopsies, weekly FBP’s and monthly CT’s. It was naturally thought that he was in denial. The anticipated use- by-date had passed but he was not presumed to live much longer.

At an executive meeting, on arrival in NY after the excruciatingly painful air trip from Melbourne, he suffered acute dehydration. Still he managed to encounter some colleagues in not meeting their professional roles as psychologists. Earlier that year he had proposed pro-bono supportive email counselling for Australian servicemen and women serving in the East Timor arena and especially for their families at home. Also, he recommended a completely new Forensic Psychology Military Board. When challenged by an opposing clinician, who asked Dr Costello to speak in more simple terms, Brian curtly retorted, “Can you spell, simply, the word “machete” and in simple terms estimate the number of East Timor killings since this meeting began?” He asked politely to be excused from the remaining meeting which was adjourned for the next day.