DOCTOR Shantini Deutscher is a selfproclaimed \u201ccultural hybrid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raised by her Christian Tamil Sri Lankan parents in multicultural Singapore, she moved to Australia at 15 to board at Melbourne\u2019s Presbyterian Ladies College.<\/p>\n
Befriending girls from country Victoria, she would holiday at farms and homes across the state.<\/p>\n
Then, heading to Monash University to study medicine, Dr Deutscher met her surgeon husband David.<\/p>\n
Originally working at the Alfred and Royal Children\u2019s hospitals, she completed her fellowship in General Practice, started a family and moved briefly to Gloucester in the UK, before settling in her husband\u2019s home town of Ballarat in 1989.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Dr Deutscher\u2019s diverse start in life that helped her to develop a perspective uniquely hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been shuttling between various cultures for more than 45 years, giving me multiple perspectives on how our thinking and behaviours develop and how we connect,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to bring an informed multicultural view to the table wherever I\u2019m involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is something she has done, using her personal experiences and applying them appropriately to her work as a GP over the last 30 years, her role as a university lecturer and her volunteer work on boards across Ballarat.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s for these endeavours that she is \u201chonoured\u201d to be one of Zonta Ballarat\u2019s Great Women of 2019, having been nominated by Adam Heath, the headmaster of Ballarat Grammar where Dr Deutscher is the board\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n
Education and service have always been of great value to Dr Deutscher.<\/p>\n
Her parents lived through the Japanese occupation of Singapore, making them resourceful, proactive people.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was an exceptional man. I\u2019m writing a book about him,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was really involved in rebuilding Singapore.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a GP\u2026 he got involved in Rotary, Red Cross, establishing a university, YMCA\u2026 So service was right through his blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mum, too, became one of the first woman Justices of Peace after the war in Singapore, in fact, we just celebrated her 100th birthday last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
So in 2007 when she was asked to join Ballarat Grammar\u2019s board of directors, Dr Deutscher was happy to get involved, bringing together the education and service in her genes.<\/p>\n
She loved the school\u2019s broad, Anglican values-based education which had nurtured her three very different children, Charles, Peter and Eva.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to academic rigour\u2026 the many opportunities offered and the soft skills and values they learned at Grammar including imagination, curiosity, diligence, creativity and integrity, continue to help them navigate their futures,\u201d Dr Deutscher said.<\/p>\n
Now, having come into the role of chair last year and celebrating almost 30 years since she became a Grammar parent, Dr Deutscher is enjoying the rewarding yet challenging role.<\/p>\n
She connects with young people, leading with a mother\u2019s experience, aiming to support them to skill up for their individual paths, while looking after their mental health, anxieties and stresses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI encourage other women to step up.\u201d she said, and like Nancy Pelosi, believes motherhood prepares people for leadership, and is a \u201cgold star\u201d on a CV.<\/p>\n
Dr Deutscher empathises with Ms Pelosi and her leadership style, forged inside the home while organising, delegating, compromising, loving and using \u201cJedi mum tricks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honoured to be chair, to help the next generation\u2026 and help other people give their kids good opportunities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoy the journey and growth of others.\u201d<\/p>\n
She aims to live by Ballarat Grammar\u2019s ethos, words inspired by Luke 12:48, \u2018from those to whom much is given, much will be required.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThe value of a good education lies, not just with what we receive, but with what we do with it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is why I\u2019m passionate about Ballarat Grammar and wish to continue to make a contribution by ensuring sound governance and promoting a learning culture that brings out the best in our students and staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her contribution to boards, however, doesn\u2019t stop with the school.<\/p>\n
She praises the \u201cworld class\u201d quality of medical care in Ballarat and has enjoyed \u201csharing the job of leadership\u201d in the past at Ballarat Hospice Care and The Ballarat Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you live in Ballarat, you earn a living in Ballarat, I think all of us should put something back to the community that has given us life and a home for our families.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2019, Dr Deutscher is looking forward to keeping up her gardening and botanic art, continuing work at Federation University in student health, and lecturing general practice for Deakin and Melbourne University.<\/p>\n
The Deutschers are set to move from their family home of 30 years. Still also working part-time as a GP and constantly upskilling, Dr Deutscher will focus on downsizing, decluttering \u201clike Marie Kondo\u201d and renovating in the next 12 months.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s one thing she anticipates will outlast her list of endeavours. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to growing older with my husband but staying young,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trick is hanging around young people\u2026 Seriously, you learn so much from them. It\u2019s the best thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DOCTOR Shantini Deutscher is a selfproclaimed \u201ccultural hybrid.\u201d Raised by her Christian Tamil Sri Lankan parents in multicultural Singapore, she moved to Australia at 15 to board at Melbourne\u2019s Presbyterian Ladies College. Befriending girls from country Victoria, she would holiday at farms and homes across the state. Then, heading to Monash University to study medicine, […]<\/p>\n