Former Gunnedah general practitioner Dr David Cooke OAM has been recognised for more than six decades of service to regional and remote communities, being named the 2027 NSW Senior Australian of the Year.
The NSW awards were announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Wednesday, 4 November.
The 84-year-old doctor, whose medical career included an important period serving the Gunnedah community, was announced as the state recipient in recognition of his extraordinary dedication to providing healthcare in some of Australia’s most isolated locations.
Dr Cooke’s career has spanned more than 60 years, combining his two great passions of medicine and aviation to bring essential medical services to people living beyond the reach of traditional healthcare.
Dr Cooke spent almost 20 years practising in Gunnedah, where he established a long-standing medical practice and became a familiar and valued member of the community.
He left his home and surgery in Gunnedah in 1988 to relocate to Port Macquarie, where he continued his medical career and built a strong reputation across the Mid North Coast.
However, his work in regional general practice was only one part of a career that also took him to some of Australia’s most remote communities.
Through his work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Dr Cooke provided medical care across vast areas of the Northern Territory and north Queensland, often operating with limited diagnostic equipment and relying on his clinical judgement and resourcefulness.
His passion for aviation played a significant role in his medical work, with Dr Cooke describing himself as a ‘pilot who practises medicine’.
He even undertook parachute training to enable him to reach patients in locations inaccessible by conventional transport.
His contribution to aviation has also extended beyond his medical work, including co-founding Avcair aviation services with his son and serving as a former vice-president and member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Dr Cooke has continued practising as a general practitioner, treating patients in Port Macquarie and South West Rocks at a time when regional communities are facing ongoing shortages of doctors.
His recognition as NSW Senior Australian of the Year celebrates a lifetime of service to communities where access to healthcare can be challenging, including the many regional and remote locations in which he has worked.
Dr Cooke will now join the other state and territory recipients as a finalist for the national 2027 Australian of the Year Awards, which will be announced in Canberra on 25 January.
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