Australia’s first Indigenous orthopaedic surgeon Anthony Murray comes to Friendly Society Private Hospital
A farm-living former footy player turned orthopaedic surgeon is bringing a much-needed boost to regional health services while breaking down barriers along the way.
Bundaberg
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When a serious knee injury crushed his dreams of becoming a professional football player, former Hervey Bay Bomber Anthony Murray set his sights on orthopaedic surgery.
Now, he’s returned to the Wide Bay and working at Bundaberg where he’s breaking new ground in more ways than one.
In a significant boost to health care in the region, Dr Murray has begun operating at the Friendly Society Private Hospital.
Australia’s first Indigenous orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Murray, who hails from Rockhampton, is also a pioneer of the latest cutting-edge surgical techniques.
After consulting with the hospital since March 2022, Dr Murray is now regularly travelling to Bundaberg from his Sunshine Coast farm to perform operations.
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His techniques include the use of augmented reality to guide the operation.
“It allows us to see (down to) the millimetre whether what we’ve achieved is to the exact plan that we had before the operation,” he said.
“And if it’s not, we can adjust it on the fly rather than just accepting small differences that previously we would have just let go.”
Other advances include the use of 3D printing to make surgical devices and instruments tailored to the patient’s anatomy.
All of these new approaches are based on the latest medical research and designed to achieve better outcomes for patients.
“Each one of these (techniques) is a method of trying to advance surgery to lead to improved patient outcomes, better range of motion of the joint, less pain, and a faster recovery and rehabilitation,” Dr Murray said.
“Patients are doing better than what we’ve ever seen – (they) are up and going quicker and moving faster.”
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Raised in Rockhampton, Dr Murray knows all too well the stoic nature of people in the regions when it comes to putting up with pain and discomfort despite living with debilitating arthritis conditions.
One reason for this, Dr Murray says, is “the provision of care, while being excellent, is always stretched”.
“So me coming to town and operating will significantly increase the capacity for Bundaberg’s ability to deal with all of these chronic health conditions, and significantly improve the patient outcomes,” he said.
Dr Murray spent some time in Wide Bay prior to his medical career, with his path to being one of Australia’s leading orthopaedic surgeons beginning with a stint playing for the Hervey Bay Bombers AFL team.
A strapping 7-foot tall full-forward, Dr Murray dreamt of a career as a professional football player until he suffered a serious knee injury.
He became interested in a career as a surgeon while undergoing rehabilitation and surgery following the injury.
After doing his initial training at James Cook University, further studies fortuitously took him to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital where he worked under Australia’s first Indigenous surgeon, Kelvin Kong.
“Dr Kong came through with so many barriers, because he was 15-20 years before my time,” Dr Murray said.
“He was a mentor for me, he always gave me advice in the corridor.”
Through Dr Kong’s inspiration and guidance, Dr Murray sought to become a mentor to other Indigenous students, travelling to schools to speak to Indigenous students throughout regional Queensland.
“I try and encourage them to come into healthcare … just to try and be a leader in increasing the number of Indigenous people in the workforce,” he said.
Dr Brad Murphy is a well-known First Nations GP in Bundaberg and a mentor for Indigenous students in the University of Queensland’s Regional Medical Pathway program.
He said mentors such as Dr Murray were invaluable in showing First Nations youth what was possible.
“He’s a symbol of success, a symbol of what happens when you work hard,” he said.
“He had a passion … that he followed through adversity. That’s the importance and opportunity for the next generation (in showing that) there is actually a pathway available here in Bundaberg and … Central Queensland to actually go through that and follow in Anthony’s footsteps.”
Ultimately, Dr Murray’s greatest passion is using his knowledge and skills to improve his patients’ quality of life.
“If someone’s really suffering then I have all of this education, knowledge and skill to improve that for them,” he said.
“I like people to be able to receive the same care that I’d have a family member receive.”
In a statement, the Friendly Society Private Hospital Director of Clinical Services and Patient Safety, Sandy Blake welcomed Dr Murray to the hospital’s surgical team.
“It’s really great to have such an experienced senior orthopaedic surgeon come on board who can service our patients and meet people’s acute needs through consultations and emergency admissions,” she said.
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