The legacy of a legend

AFTER the sudden death of Dr Kevin Chambers in 2020, the outpouring of grief in the thousands of social media tributes spoke to his standing in Mildura and its vast surrounds.

The overarching sentiment was one of immense gratitude from a country community who he dedicated so much of his life caring for.

Many of us, including me, have a story to tell about the popular surgeon.

It’s why his name will always be enshrined in Mildura’s memory.

But now it has been immortalised in a formal sense.

Yesterday, the family of the late, great Dr Chambers flew into Mildura for the inaugural KC Society luncheon.

The Mildura Base Public Hospital, through its foundation, has established the KC Society, which will provide financial scholarships to young people who have chosen to further their education in health at tertiary level.

Many of the doctors working at Mildura’s hospital, and indeed across the country, developed their skills under the watchful eye of Dr Chambers.

His son Scott, who joined his sisters and his stepmother Julie for yesterday’s fundraiser, said the family was honoured the hospital had venerated Dr Chambers’ legacy in such a way.

“Dad really believed in people being in the community caring for the people here,” Scott said.

“That continuous care is very important for patients, particularly in those rural areas, and he believed in the importance of Mildura being a training centre for young doctors and then creating the environment that it would make sense to them to move to Mildura and become permanent.

“They have targeted that as an outcome (with the KC Society) and it strikes to the heart of what was so important to him. He gave a lot of his time to training these doctors. I run into doctors often and they will say ‘I trained with your dad’. It’s pretty special.”

Dr Chambers arrived in Mildura in 1983 after completing his training at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.

He was lured here by long-time friend Dr Terry Cook, who he had met and worked with during a medical posting in New Guinea in 1976. When Dr Chambers returned from a stint working in London, Dr Cook suggested he follow his lead and move to the isolated town in the north-west of Victoria.

He visited Mildura to take a look for himself. Then he visited Robinvale, Ouyen, Murrayville and Wentworth to meet all the GPs. He went back to England, grabbed his family and the rest, as they say, is history.

Scott said while he and his sisters were all now busy with their own careers in Sydney, they still regarded Mildura as home, and jumped at the opportunity to return for yesterday’s event.

“It is special for us to be able to do that,” he said. “I was saying to the guys at the hospital that having one or two functions per year (for the KC Society) will be a great chance to come back and support it and keep that strong connection to Mildura for us.

“Dad made Mildura his home over the 40 years he was there and gave a lot to the community.

“He wasn’t one to make a big thing about himself ever, but we’re very proud that people at the hospital felt that this was a worthwhile cause to support.”

A page has been created on the Hospital Foundation’s website where students up to the age of 24 who are permanent residents and studying a health-related tertiary course can apply for scholarship funding.

Dr Chambers helped train generations of doctors during his time in Mildura. The KC Society will ensure that work continues for generations to come.