Exit International: Suicide pod founder Philip Nitschke talks about other aspects of his life

He’s known to millions of people around the world as Dr Death but there’s another side to Philip Nitschke that’s seldom seen. Here’s what he’s really like.

HE’S known to millions of people around the world as Dr Death but there’s another side to Philip Nitschke that’s seldom seen: he’s a besotted dog lover, sensitive in his personal life and afraid he’s running out of time.

He also enjoys trying different craft beers, jogging and once worked as a park ranger.

Nitschke and his wife, Dr Fiona Stewart, 53, a lawyer and sociologist, gave a rare glimpse in to their private lives after an Exit International workshop on the Gold Coast this week.

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"Disrupting Death" Exit DIY Euthanasia Workshop run by Dr Philip Nitschke at the Robina Community Centre. Picture: Jerad Williams

The charming, friendly, Dr Stewart concedes it’s been a big week: Nitschke has been in Paris, London, Venice, Amsterdam and now Australia. He’s seriously jet-lagged and was stressed about sound glitches at his workshop.

It’s the couple’s first visit to Australia since November last year and it’s a significant one.

Dr Nitschke is unveiling details of his Sarco suicide pod around the country, with his wife at his side. They’re looking forward to catching up with friends and her parents during their month-long visit from Amsterdam where they live.

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Dr Philip Nitschke and his wife Dr Fiona Stewart with their dog Henny.

Ironically, Dr Nitschke, who can no longer practise as a doctor in Australia, will also speak at the Australian Medical Students Association Conference in Sydney and at the Creative Careers in Medicine Conference on the Gold Coast.

In his presentations on assisted suicide, the euthanasia advocate can come across as intense and a bit austere. However, one-on-one, he’s charming and gracious, with plenty of old-school politeness. He’s also pragmatic about the unenviable title of Dr Death that follows him.

“I think the Dr Death line is almost inevitable. I was added to the Wikipedia Dr Death list 20 years ago and it’s stuck,” he said wryly.

He points out there are 13 listed Dr Deaths in the world, so he’s not alone.

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Dr Nitchske at the workshop. Picture: Jerad Williams

“It started shortly after the death of Bob Dent in Darwin 22 years ago. It was an intense time with the first death in the world from a lethal, voluntary, legal injection and there was a lot of emotional comment and quite a bit of name calling.”

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To get away from the intense scrutiny of his work, Dr Nitschke says he enjoys travelling on his Russian motorbike with Fiona and their dog, Henny, in the sidecar.

“When that can’t be organised, I like running or jogging,” he says.

“I’m quite religious about my running and not particularly good at it, but I find it very relaxing and therapeutic. I’ve kept distance and time records for years and when I’m travelling with Exit, I always take my running gear.”

Like most Australians, Dr Nitschke says he enjoys a beer and spends hours looking into how he can get hold of the best West Coast or New England IPA craft beers.

And would he like to live in Australia again?

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Dr Philip Nitschke and his wife Dr Fiona Stewart with their dog Henny.

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“I don’t miss the political climate. I’m glad to be out of what I see as an increasingly intolerant and divided society.

“But I do miss the land, the country, especially the Northern Territory, where I spent years working as a parks and wildlife ranger.”

And if he chose to die in his Sarco pod, he said he would park it in the Gibson Desert, west of Kintore, out somewhere near the Canning Stock Route.

The founder of Exit International, who was born in South Adelaide, says his workshop on the Gold Coast this week had “heavy bookings”.

However, he’s upset that the Australian Federal Police have also stepped up their visits to elderly people.

“They’ve initiated a series of night-time ‘wellness checks’ on Exit members who have imported, or tried to import, euthanasia drugs.

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“There have been about eight raids in the past week with police demanding that they hand over the drugs.”

Dr Nitschke says he feels protective of elderly and it is possible that his long fight for euthanasia, particularly among the aged ill, may have something to do with the fact his mum, Gwen, died of natural causes at the age of 95 — in a nursing home she hated.

The Nitschkes have been married for 18 years and work together, which Dr Stewart says is a breeze.

“It’s amazing working with him I’m the writer — a former journalist — and he’s the mad scientist, an absent-minded professor. He’s respectful, supportive and the synergy is good.

“We have an excellent marriage and we hardly ever fight.

“I try and tone down his free thinking and smooth off some of his rough edges. He’s very much a man from the bush and I’m a nice girl from the suburbs of Melbourne.

“He has a PhD in applied physics, he’s seriously clever and his forte was pure maths. I would describe myself as the logistics queen, very compassionate, headstrong, protective of Philip and an animal lover.”

One thing Dr Stewart does struggle with is criticism of her husband.

“I get very offended when he gets attacked by the media. Fortunately, he has a tough skin with the media but he’s extremely sensitive in his personal life.

“And he’s very conscious that at 71, he’s running out of time. He has a lot he still wants to do.”

The couple has been living away from Australia for the past five years and Dr Stewart says she still misses family, friends and Aussie food — but not the political climate.

“I like living in a country that is genuinely open-minded and secular.”

But would she like to return to her country of birth?

“Our book is banned here so it would be very difficult for us to live here lawfully,” she says carefully.

For Dr Nitschke, the sacrifices seem to have been worth it:

“I’m very pleased and happy to be able to work in what I see as the cutting-edge social issue of this century,” he says. “I’m keen on social justice.”