Arron is the first ever permanent Palliative Care Specialist at Taree, in the beautiful Manning Valley region on the NSW Mid North Coast. Raised in outer suburban Melbourne, his passion for Rural Medicine began with a six week medical student placement he undertook 25 years ago – also in Taree! After working for six years as a GP, Arron took a new career path into Palliative Care – a field of Medicine that, in his own words, had petrified him as a student, as he’d felt powerless in the face of the dying process – but he hasn’t looked back, learning what really matters most to those nearing the end of life and recognising the true value of a Palliative Care doctor to the patient and their family. Along the way too, he has experienced first-hand what it’s like to be the patient rather than the doctor – something that has shaped the way he approaches his work.

Raised in rural Victoria, Jessica’s training to be a Rural General Surgeon…and she’s a real dynamo! A strong advocate for increasing access to rural healthcare and expanding rurally-based training, she has led the way in training and working rurally during her own medical career, and in doing so has encouraged numerous junior doctors and medical students to follow suit. She’s also driven the development of quality research on rural medicine – particularly rural surgery – knowing how important this is in both fighting against the centralisation of care, and advocating for better investment in rural health services.

Jemma is a final year medical student from the University of Melbourne who has worked hard to promote rural medical careers to her peers – particularly the 1400-strong medical student cohort at her university. With a father who worked as a bush nurse, and a childhood spent in numerous rural locations, it was nearly inevitable that Jemma would embark on a career in rural health…but there was a detour along the way!