Dr. Ralph Gwynne Ballard

Ralph 2010

• General Notes
  • 
    Born Melbourne, Australia at the Jessie Mac Pherson Memorial Hospital - 5 August 1958 at 11.10pm local time.
    
    Educated at Deepdene State School then at Scotch College, Melbourne.
    Studied medicine at University of Melbourne, graduating MBBS 1982.
    Also in 1982 did 2 months elective study at Guy's Hospital, London, in the respiratory medicine unit located at New Cross Hospital.
    
    Hospital posts:
    - 1983 (internship at the Austin Hospital) to 1986 (Fellow in Community Psychiatry and Fellow in Occupational Medicine), and trained with the Family Medicine Program of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
    - Assistant Medical Consultant to the Acupuncture Research Clinic, Preston and Northcote Community Hospital 1992 to 1998.
    - Visiting Medical Officer at Swinburne University Hospital 2002 to 2003.
    - Medical Acupuncturist at The Northern Hospital, Epping 2007 to the present.
    
    From 1983 to 1995 also studied counselling and psychotherapy, yoga and meditation, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, homoeopathy, spinal manipulation, nutritional medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, colour and crystal therapy (Aura-Soma & Spirale), intentional healing with Clif Sanderson, Tera Mai Reiki and Seichem with Jenny Levi, and spiritual healing with Shannon.
    
    Entered general practice 1987 with Dr. Bob Long in Sussex Street, North Coburg.
    
    1991 changed his practice to Wholistic Medicine and moved to the Whole Health Clinic Fairfield.  Worked there until the clinic closed in 1999.  Since then was in solo wholistic medical practice at Eaglemont in Melbourne.
    
    December 2002 - Moved to East Warburton with his new wife Sushie to live in the mountains at the head of the Yarra River.  Very peaceful lifestyle - a "seachange".  Since then working part-time in wholistic medical practice in Warburton Ralph has also done work in integrated cancer treatment.  Ralph teaches about holistic and spiritual approaches to life.  He has also become an author with a book on management of disturbed children to be published in 2008.  Ralph and Sushie spend much time on their property growing their own vegetables, enjoying nature, and following sustainable living principles.
    
    Teaching Posts:
    - Subject Coordinator for the "Introduction To Acupuncture" Unit Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, Swinburne University.
    - Lecturer on mind-body medicine and on complementary therapies at Victoria University (Graduate Diploma in Complementary Medicine), and to the undergraduate medical courses at Melbourne & Monash Universities
    - Senior lecturer on homoeopathy at the Melbourne College of Natural Medicine 1992 to 2002.
    - Mentor for the Monash University "Graduate Certificate in Medical Acupuncture" 2009 to the present.
    
    Research Work:
    Grant recipient & Project Director for "The Life Enhancement Program" conducted at The Whole Health Clinic Inc., 202 Station Street, Fairfield.
    The project was funded and supervised through federal government grant under the "General Practice and Divisions Program" from 1991 to 1997.
    The research was into group support programs for people with cancer, AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and other immune system disorders.  The statistical research carried out clearly validated the value of such intervention groups in improving quality of life for these patient groups.
    
    Qualifications:
    MBBS:        Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (University of Melbourne, 1982)
    CSCT:        Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Training in general practice   (Family Medicine Program - Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 1987)
    Cert Manual Med:    Certificate of Manual Medicine  (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 1989)
    MD (MA):  Doctor of  Medicine, Medicina Alternativa, Sri Lanka  (Honorary title, 1989)
    Dip Clin Hypnosis:  Diploma of Clinical Hypnosis (Australian Society of Hypnosis,1990)
    FAMAC:     Fellow of the Australian Medical Acupuncture College (1991)
    Dip Hom:    Diploma of Homoeopathy (Melbourne College of Homoeopathy, 1991)
    Reiki and Seichem Master (Tera Mai) - 2001.
    
    Publications:
    - "KIDS! Indigo Children and Cheeky Monkeys - A Practical Guide for the Modern Parent".  Book co-authored with Scott Alexander King.  Published by Blue Angel Gallery, 2008.
    - Article in the medical journal "Australian Family Physician" entitled "Homoeopathy - An Overview"  -  December 2000 issue
    - Article in "Australian Family Physician" entitled "Management of Stabilised Schizophrenics"  - December 1986 issue
    - Published Case Histories in the book "The Family Counselling Casebook" by Dr. John Gunzburg.  Publisher - McGraw Hill. Australia 1991
    - Foreword to the book "From Rock Rose to Rock Water - Journeyings - Along the Path with Edward Bach" by Denise Carrington-Smith. Publisher-Abbey Books. Australia 1995
    
    Plays bagpipes.
    Played with the Scotch College Pipe Band (1972 to 1976), then the Hawthorn City Pipe Band from 1976 to 1983 - including winning the Australian Grade 1 Pipe Band Championship in 1982.
    Taught piobaireachd (the ancient classical music of the bagpipes) by Ross Campbell 1976 to 1983 - also 1 day of private tuition by Sir Ian Mackay (New Zealand 1980), and short courses with Donald Bain, Ian Mackay, Donald Morrison, James MacKintosh and Murray Henderson.
    
    Other interersts - meditation, yoga & qigong. 
    1990 went to India for 1 month to visit the guru Sri Sri Thakur Balak Brahmachari  (Thakur).
    

Wife's Pictures

Wendy Frazer 1988

Wife's Pictures

Ralph & Sushie - November 2008

Family Pictures

Ralph and Sushie at the wedding 2002