5 June 2001

Comedic author Nick Earls will return to his old stomping ground this Wednesday when he addresses fellow medical graduates at a fundraising event to restore a heritage-listed lecture theatre within the UQ School of Medicine.

Earls will entertain graduates from more than 40 years of the School's history with a performance rendition of a short story based on his medical student days.

His appearance will be a key drawcard in attracting fundraising interest to restore the historic E S Meyers Lecture Theatre to its former glory and future potential.

Also addressing delegates will be Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Peter Brooks, and Derek Meyers, son of the late Dr E S Meyers.

The evening's formalities will be followed by a cocktail party for about 60 guests, among them several leading lights of the Queensland medical profession.

The E S Meyers Restoration Appeal aims to raise $300,000 to upgrade the historic lecture theatre with state-of-the-art videoconferencing facilities and structural enhancements.

E S Meyers was a groundbreaking surgeon whose vision for a Queensland-based medical school was well-known. He was Dean of the UQ School of Medicine from 1941 until 1954 when ill health forced his resignation.

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