I remember first hearing Robert Twycross at a conference in London in the mid 1980s. I remember thinking how much I would love to be able to work with him and never imagining that one day I would be teaching with him! I remember him calling me and asking me my advice about where he should start teaching in India. 1993 I was fortunate enough to start working at Saint Michaels house and to teach with Robert on the International School of Cancer Care course which was held at Saint Peters College, Oxford University. We were co-facilitators and it was wonderful to be able to do team teaching with him. It was a good role model to show how nurses and doctors can compliment each others role. I had huge respect for Robert and his great teaching and clinical bedside caring and teaching skills and I learned so much from him. We works together for several years and in particular teaching around India. in 1997,Robert and I taught. the very first, ten-day Palliative Care course of its type, which uniquely included 2 days clinical teaching, in Calicut, organised by Dr Rajagopal and Dr Suresh Kumar, former ‘students’ on the Oxford course in 1993 and 1994 respectively.
If Dame Cicely Saunders is considered to be “mother” of palliative care worldwide, I would consider that Robert Twycross is the ‘Father” of Palliative Care worldwide. We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude for the legacy of his wisdom and his compassion which he so generously shared with colleagues and patients alike.