A retired Endodontist who has practised and taught for more than half a century has been made a Member of the Order of Australia. Armidale-based dentist and member Dr Alexander John Moule has been awarded an AM.
Dr Moule was awarded the honour for ‘significant service to dentistry as a clinician and academic, and to professional associations’.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I consider I would be awarded an AM!” he said upon being notified. “It was certainly a surprise when I received the letter.”
Dr Moule began his career working in a government clinic in Mackay in Queensland. Raised in Malaysia, Dr Moule became a tenured lecturer at The University of Queensland, where he stayed for the next seven years.
In the 1980s, Dr Moule relocated to Sydney, where he worked as a tenured senior lecturer. I believe I was the first senior non-Sydney appointed to The University of Sydney for some 20 years.
“I found Sydney an exciting place to live. Most importantly, I met Judy-Ann. We have been married now for over 40 years,” Dr Moule said. “While in Sydney, I was lucky to be invited to The University of Washington as a visiting scholar. So in 1986 we moved to Seattle for twelve months, with a 20-month-old child and a 10-week-old baby. We must have been mad!”
After this, Dr Moule returned to Queensland, where he commenced working in private endodontic practice for the next three decades. In his spare time, he taught at The University of Queensland, conducted research and lectured at meetings in Australia and internationally.
By 2012, Dr Moule said he felt in need of a change, so he and Judy-Ann packed their bags and headed for Kuwait, where they spent the next four years.
“Working in Kuwait was both exciting and enjoyable. I grew as a person during this time,” he said. “The students were mostly girls and would have to be some of the best students I have had the pleasure to teach, pleasant, intelligent and talented. Importantly, there were plenty of qualified teaching staff, none of whom had less than a master’s degree, and this was reflected in the quality of tuition.”
Dr Moule returned to Australia in 2016 and re-joined The University of Queensland. He was appointed an honorary professor in 2021. Three years ago, and wanting to embark on retirement, Dr Moule purchased a property to retire in Armidale, NSW.
Looking back, his many career achievements include being appointed world president of the International Association of Dental Traumatology (2015-2016), honorary life member of the Australian Society of Endodontology (after serving as a member for 35 years), honorary life member of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Endodontists and an honorary member of the Australian Dental Association (QLD branch).
Outside work, he has also liked “watching his children and grandchildren grow into such nice people”.
Throughout his career, Dr Moule has been a prolific author. He is the co-author of Diagnosing Dental and Orofacial Pain: A Clinical Manual, and the author of 16 book chapters and 83 peer-reviewed articles.
“Most of my personal publications have tried to answer a clinical question,” he said. “I firmly believe in practice-let research. Anyone can do this. My book is an example of this.”
Mentors have been critical to his illustrious career. “I never set out to be ‘successful’. I have just done the best I can when opportunities presented themselves,” Dr Moule said.
“Having said that, any success I have had is a reflection of the quality of mentors who have advised me on my journey as a clinician and as an academic. Grahame Brown, Richard Ten Cate, Geoff Heithersay and Leif Bakland spring to mind, but there have been so many more.”
“For that reason, I have been passionate about mentoring colleagues, particularly young researchers, in their careers. I firmly believe that knowledge and experience should be shared.”
His advice for the young practitioner is to take every opportunity you can that presents itself in life, and to not hold back.
“Get a hobby, there is more to life than dentistry,” he said. “If you are a dentist, you can do anything well. It is OK to ask for help. Know when to refer a patient and who to.”
Living in Armidale, Dr Moule said he has never been happier on his 70 acres of agricultural land. His hobbies include gemmology, farming (Cert III in Agriculture) and he has a significant art collection, selected works from which were exhibited recently at the New England Regional Art Gallery.
