MACKSVILLE Medical Centre is celebrating 50 years of operation on Wallace Street this month.
Lesa Hennessey remembers being rushed to the Centre, covered in blood and glass in the back of her grandma’s car, when she was five years old.
She’d fallen over a milk jug at the family farm and glass was embedded in her chest.
The scars that remain are a tangible reminder of this event and the care she received.
“Doctor Mayze saved my life that day,” she said.
Little did Lesa know that her journey would come full circle.
Today, she is a Registered Nurse, caring for her community at the very same practice.
“The practice has treated so many people, seen their babies grow and their babies’ babies come in,” said Lesa.
“My own grandparents came here and now my grandchildren visit the practice.”
The Macksville Medical Centre began with a vision shared by the late Dr Paul Gan, Dr Mayze, and Dr Das to build a purpose-built medical facility on Wallace Street, Macksville.
The practice (complete with pebble gardens, an x-ray room and a fishtank in the waiting room) opened its doors in 1975.
“The rooms were like the lap of luxury and not something we had seen before,” said Associate Professor Dr Antonio Di Dio, Director of Professional Services Review with the Australian Government, who lived in Macksville as a child.
“The Macksville Medical Centre became an integral part of the town in the same way the Co-op and the pharmacies were.
“It certainly continued a proud tradition with incredible doctors servicing our little town.”
After a successful opening, Dr Gan went on to practice at the Centre until his retirement in 2015, working tirelessly for over fifty years.
Dr Vince Edghill visited the practice in 1977 and later returned to join, serving the community until his retirement in 2021. NVC Group, a local not-for-profit, recognised how important the practice was to the local community, and stepped in to save the practice from closing.
In recent years, the Centre has not only weathered the challenges of regional healthcare shortages but is flourishing under the leadership of Practice Manager, Casey Shorter, whose tireless work and commitment over the past three years have been instrumental in addressing the critical shortage of medical and allied health services in the region.
“The Macksville Medical Centre’s 50th anniversary on Wallace Street, is more than just a celebration of time; it’s a recognition of its vital role as a cornerstone of the community,” Casey said.
“The importance of places like our medical centre to local communities can’t be underestimated.”
