Get on with it, and be humble enough ask for help.
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It's a philosophy Dr Jalil Ramzan learned in his early days as a country doctor, and has taken with him right through to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Ramzan retired on Tuesday, after 46 years at Kurri Kurri's Family Medical Practice.
He spent his last day at work administering COVID vaccines, just as he did on his 80th birthday two weeks ago.
Born in Fiji in 1941, Dr Ramzan did well at school and was given a Commonwealth scholarship to study medicine in India.
There he met and married his wife Liesbeth, a Dutch-Australian nurse who was working at the women's hospital in Calcutta as a midwife.
After stints in New Zealand and Victoria, they arrived in Kurri Kurri in 1975, when Dr Ramzan joined Dr Basil Higson, Dr Bill Straughan and Dr Gerald Wong, and later Dr Salvador Mendoza, at the Family Medical Centre.
Cathy Bourke, who was a receptionist at the practice for 36 years, has fond memories of working with Dr Ramzan.
"For all of the staff, it was a pleasure to work with him," she said.
"He is compassionate, caring and dedicated to his patients.
"The name Family Medical Centre is appropriate, because it was like one big family."
Dr Ramzan said his two-and-a-half-year rotating hospital housemanship (residency) equipped him well for country medical practice in Australia, training in just about every field of medicine and surgery.
He worked as a GP, anaesthetist, obstetrician and "jack of all trades" and gaining experience from "tremendous country medical peers" along the way.
"I learned to get on with it, and be humble to ask for help," he said.
"And so with COVID-19, I bring myself up-to-date weekly from reliable sources, (such as) AMA, RACOG, RACGP and ATAGI, to be able to counsel my patients."
Dr Ramzan said the people of Kurri Kurri and surrounding towns are very protective of their community from COVID.
"They get upset and angry if they discover others from outside enter the community against restrictions. They are very compliant with Health regulations," he said.
Dr Ramzan said he and his family cherish living in Kurri Kurri, and seeing the community come together time and time again to fight for their beloved Kurri District Hospital was among the memorable moments of his career.
"It is, however, sad to see health bureaucrats still getting their way by slowly whittling away and centralising services. Kurri Hospital is no longer a flourishing country hospital," he said.
Dr Ramzan has cared for three generations of patients in Kurri Kurri, caring for families at birth, through their life and at the end.
He will now have more time to spend with his own family, including Liesbeth, their three children and three grandchildren.
When asked why he decided to retire now, put it simply: "I am 80 years old. It's time to retire!"
PHOTOS: The gallery below features a selection of photos from Dr Ramzan's working life, kindly shared with us by son Paul.
In other news:
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Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
