Simply called “The Doctor’s Surgery”, our practice started as one room used as a consulting room in the front of the local doctor’s home, the majestic historical Ramsgate, next to the Tourist Hotel.
The practice continued at Ramsgate until the mid 1970s, passing from Dr Perkins to Dr Lance Robey in 1951. One doctor was on call 24 hours, including house calls in and out of the township, often driving on old dirt roads covered in snow. Volunteer ambulance drivers assisted with transporting patients to hospital. The only phone system was via the local exchange where the telephone girls always knew where to find the doctor in an emergency.
In the mid 1970s a second doctor, Dr Bill Morrison, joining Dr Robey, who then retired in 1984. The Doctor’s Surgery moved across the road into a little 1900s-vintage cottage (now The Christian Bargain Centre). This provided two consulting rooms and a procedure room.
June Cunynghame worked as receptionist and also assisted doctors in procedure rooms when required. With a nurse soon employed for the first time, June continued on as receptionist (prior to the advent of the title Practice Manager in doctor’s surgeries).
In 1979, Lorretta Graham was employed for accounting, typing of referrals, and receptionist duties, and would become Practice Manager.
Dr Andrew Godden made it a three-doctor practice when he joined in 1979. Dr Greg Dargan Joined in 1990. Many other doctors contributed to the medical practice in later years, and the practice successfully trained many new General Practitioners and registrars over 25 years. All doctors gained invaluable experience and knowledge working in a small country town sharing the emergency on-call roster.
The Doctor’s Surgery changed its title officially to the Oberon Medical Centre from 1990 and moved to our current premises at 148 Oberon Street in January 2008. Oberon Medical Centre currently has seven doctors, two practice nurses, and a lovely team of admin & reception staff.
Whilst we have grown from one doctor to the multi-disciplinary practice we have today, The Oberon Medical Centre has never forgotten our humble beginnings and the reason we’re here – which is to serve the people of Oberon and its surrounds and improve the lives and wellbeing of our entire community one person at a time.
