Eumundi welcomes new doctor

Eumundi’s new doctor, Dr Gillian Cairney, has had a whirlwind couple of months - selling her family home in Scotland, relocating to the Sunshine Coast along with her young children and parents, and joining Ochre Medical Centre Eumundi.

“I must say the Ochre team have been great,” she says. “They provided an apartment when we arrived and, when I saw the kids running along the beach, I knew I’d made the right decision. It’s a different lifestyle here - up earlier, outdoors more, and the kids don’t watch nearly as much TV.”

Dr Cairney is no stranger to the area: In 2014, soon after she qualified, she travelled here with her best friend and spent two happy years working at Gympie Hospital.

“We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we had a brilliant time!” she says. “It was the first time I’d worked in Accident and Emergency, plus it’s a rural hospital, so we managed things like fractures and dislocations that would generally be referred to orthopaedics or other specialists in the UK.”

“I was here during the floods, so patients had to be transferred by boat. One gentleman had been bitten by a snake while trying to clear his land and treating him was certainly a new experience for me!”

What has been a constant is Dr Cairney's interest in medicine. “Even as a child I wanted to be a doctor,” she says. “I’m not from a medical family. I’m actually one of the first to go to university, but patient care has always been fascinating to me, even if I was just watching it on TV.”

Studying medicine, she reconnected with the childhood friend who travelled with her to Gympie and who still lives here. “When you relocate to the other side of the world, it’s wonderful to have a close friend like that nearby.” says Dr Cairney.  “We’ve had so many great experiences together, both travelling and living here. It’s lovely to be back. I had a day off today, so I dropped off the kids then sat on the beach and had coffee. So different from days off in Glasgow! I'm definitely loving life at the moment, and greatly enjoying getting to know and care for the Eumundi community.”

Dr Cairney is accepting new patients at Ochre Medical Centre Eumundi. Bookings can be made via ochrehealth.com.au or by calling the practice on 5442 8882.