ASOPA, TPNG and then the world

In the half decade after Papua New Guinea attained national independence in 1975, thousands of Australians voluntarily relinquished their positions and moved to other locales and other roles. Most of them too young to retire, they went on to have second careers. Most of their stories are interesting and some are spectacular, and occasionally we relate one of them on ASOPA PEOPLE.

When Chris Owner left PNG in 1977, he decided to live and work in the United States. He returned to university and obtained a PhD from the University of Washington in Seattle. He now lives and works in Virginia, is married with four children and a grandchild, with another on the way.

He's now the Clinical Sciences Director of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington DC. The AFIP is a US government institution concerned with diagnostic consultation, education, and research. The unique character of AFIP rests in the expertise of its diagnostic pathologists, whose daily work involves cases that are difficult to diagnose owing to their rarity. AFIP was very busy, for example, during the anthrax scares post 9/11.

“Life has been very kind to me and my brood,” Chris says.” The only downside is that I don't see [brother] Mike often enough. His eldest son Tim lives near me and plays for the Virginia orchestra. I hope that if any of the ASOPA folks make it here they will let me know and will come and see me.”

If you’d like to get in touch, you can email Chris here.