After refusing Health Minister Tony Ryall's request to resign over the $16.9 million defrauding of the board, he expected to be sacked.
"Realistically, and barring any change of heart by the minister, I recognise that this is likely to be the last meeting of the ODHB that I will chair."
He addressed his board with sincerity and humour.
It was a time for him to reflect on work they had achieved together, relationships which were formed, and, of course, on the struggles of the past couple of weeks.
"I've often joked to people that health governance is not about doing the best thing - it's about doing the best worst thing."
Support he received from the public, staff and board members during that time "buoyed and surprised" him.
"It really is like turning up to your own funeral and being able to hear what everyone is saying."
He gave credit to his partner, Anita Cessford, for helping him find clarity in a time of stress.
"If she hadn't suggested a senior citizens' drive around the peninsula to get an ice cream instead of writing a resignation letter, I might have gone in a weak moment.
"Life always looks better after an ice cream," Mr Thomson said.
However, the "unpleasantness" of those weeks was expected to pass, allowing him to look back fondly on his time with the board. In particular, some "highlights" stood out for him.
"I guess secretly everyone wants to leave something that is tangibly positive behind and Dunstan Hospital will always be that for me," he said of the lengthy project which resulted in the board and the public working together.
The laboratories project, which was "critical to get right", and was the beginning of collaboration with Southland, also stood out in his mind.
"That collaboration has been enormously satisfying because we have been able to do in a few years what the ministry and others have tried and failed to achieve over decades."
Chief executive Brian Rousseau, board members Louise Rosson and Prof David Stewart and deputy chairwoman Susie Johnstone received special mention for their support.
He offered them and the rest of the board advice for the challenges they would face.
New problems would be solved, not just by thinking about money, but by reassessing the structure of how things were done in public health. The courage to explore and embrace those issues would also be of benefit to the population.
"Over the years, I have regularly harangued staff when dealing with complaints that the patient doesn't want to know all the reasons why something happened. They want to know that we give a damn.
"I don't know whether I have always been a good chairman . . . but I've always given a damn. And you could do worse for an epitaph than that."
Other agenda items
-Members approved the next stage in plans for regional clinical services, following feedback on Mr Rousseau's concept paper. It was hoped the initiative would make the board's services clinically and financially sustainable.
Mr Rousseau said the project needed to be clinically led by members from both the Otago and the Southland District Health Boards under a project manager who would do the "leg work".
-A draft code of conduct for board and committee members, proposed by the audit, finance and risk management committee, was considered. Amendments were made to the wording of two sections and the document was approved.
One of the areas which came under debate was the use of cellphones.
It came under a section on behaviour at board and committee meetings and stated except for in emergencies, no cellphones or laptops will be turned on during board meetings.
After some, at times, heated debate, this was amended to say, except for emergencies with the chairman's permission.
