Dr Barry Edwards reunites with baby decades later

A doctor has been reunited with a baby he first met in hospital almost 60 years ago through a Geelong Advertiser competition to find the region’s best lawn.

Portrait of retired Geelong doctor Barry Edwards - he recently tracked down one of the first babies he helped deliver via our best lawn winner competition. Picture: Mark Wilson

A doctor has been reunited with a baby he first met in hospital almost 60 years ago through a Geelong Advertiser competition to find the region’s best lawn.

Highton’s Barry Edwards, 82, was reading the newspaper in April when he read about Lara’s Luke Kinnersley, who had been crowned Geelong’s lawn king.

Dr Edwards recognised the last name from one of the first babies he was involved with as a medical student.

Dr Edwards, who retired 18 months ago, contacted the Addy, and the masthead helped connect him with Luke.

While Luke was not the baby, Dr Edwards said Luke’s mother who had knowledge of the family tree helped him.

This led Dr Edwards to call a postmaster in country Victoria who helped him connect with now 58-year-old Leigh Kinnersly, the bub in question.

Leigh, whose last name is spelt slightly differently, is not a close relation of Luke.

Dr Edwards followed Leigh’s mother while he was a medical student in 1964.

He observed her care and caesarean at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne and wrote up her case for his exams.

Barry Edwards and Leigh Kinnersly and their wives Di and Nicole. Picture: Supplied

“I really got to know her quite well,” Dr Edwards said.

“I had no intention of ever looking for him.”

Leigh’s mother died when he was nine.

His birth was one of the first Dr Edwards, who went on to deliver “a couple of thousand” babies in Geelong, was involved in.

“I bump into them all around the place, they say ‘you’re doctor Barry, you delivered me’,” Dr Edwards said.

Dr Edwards, who worked as a GP at a Ryrie St practice, said obstetrics had been his “main love”.

Dr Edwards and Leigh connected and went out for lunch earlier this month with their wives in Mortlake, where Leigh lives.

Apart from a catch-up at the wool sales when Leigh was a toddler, it was the first time they had been reunited since Leigh was a newborn.

Leigh said it was great to catch up again.

The pair plans to keep their new-found friendship going.

Originally published as Dr Barry Edwards reunites with baby decades later