Dr Frank Hu takes over Gympie River Dental clinic

A popular Gympie clinic is entering an exciting new stage of life thanks to a change of ownership three years in the making.

Gympie’s River Dental clinic is entering a new era with Brian Maher and Tim Topalov making way for new ownership.

Frank Hu and his wife Bec Deng, an oral health therapist, will be at the helm by themselves from Tuesday, September 28, signalling the end of a three year changing of the guard.

The pair met in Tamworth and moved to Gympie in 2018.

Purchasing the clinic that same year, they have since had to ride out the major challenge of Covid-19.

“We were semi shutdown,” Dr Hu said.

Frank Hu, his wife Bec Deng, and their daughter Cynthia will be at the helm of River Dental themselves at the end of September, completing a three year changeover after buying the clinic in 2018.

They had also welcomed their daughter Cynthia into the world shortly before the pandemic broke, adding a new element to the clinic’s family atmosphere.

Outgoing owner Dr Maher, who spent 32 years with the clinic, did not know what would come next.

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“The first priority is to have a holiday,” Dr Maher said.

“I’m going to wake up one day thinking ‘I’m not going to go to work today’.”

Dr Frank Hu (centre) bought the clinic from Dr Tim Topalov (left) and Dr Brian Maher (right) in 2018.

He said the changeover was “bittersweet” as it had “been a privilege” to work in Gympie.

Dr Hu said River Dental was going to “continue the way it always has” but there was an eye to dive further into the 21st century.

“We’ll be moving more and more into digital dentistry,” he said.

September will be a monumental month for River Dental’s team of Muaaz Ahmad, Frank Hu, Bec Deng, Rita Sok, and outgoing co-owner Dr Brian Maher.

“This will mean more accuracy and faster treatments.”

Away from the clinic Dr Hu enjoyed hiking, playing pool, and superhero movies, particularly those produced by Marvel.

The couple were big fans of their new living environment in Gympie, too.

“It’s very peaceful,” Dr Hu said.