Well known GP Kingsley Pearson (pictured holding award certificate), formerly residing in the Northern Rivers, has been honoured as North Queensland GP of the Year.
The award was made by the North Queensland Primary Health Network at a ceremony held at Gurriny and attended by all staff, the Elders of the community and other community members, and the CEO and Chairperson of the Board of the PHN.
“I feel very lucky that I have been able to work in the arena of indigenous health for the past 11 years,” Kingsley told GP Speak.
“It has not only taken me to some remote and beautiful locations around Australia, but it has introduced me to a whole new group of people, strong in culture, and amazing in spirit, who have huge and complex health needs, that deserve our attention and involvement.”
Kingsley came to Nimbin as a GP in the early 1980s and was there for more than 12 year before setting up the Prema House general practice in Lismore.
In 2007 he started working for Katherine West Health Service at Lajamanu in the Northern Territory. He worked on Elcho Island for two years and then at Yarrabah near Cairns in 2010. This was interspersed with work in the Solomon Islands and the NT.
At Yarrabah he initiated a Chronic Disease Program. In 2012, he took on the role of Senior Medical Officer for the Gurriny Yealamucka [Good Healing] Aboriginal Health Service, and was part of the senior management team that enabled Gurriny to transition to a community controlled health service in 2014.
Last year he did some relief work at Jullums Lismore Aboriginal Medical Service, which has now transitioned to an Aboriginal-controlled health service under the management of Rekindling the Spirit.
We congratulate Kingsley on this richly deserved recognition of his dedication and professionalism.
