Nanango’s Dr Frederick Morgan OAM remembered as ‘hardest working GP’

An inspirational, universally loved and one-of-a-kind doctor has been remembered as “one of the good guys” by those who knew him.

Dr Fred Morgan loved to fly, and he and his wife, Marcia, were avid pilots. Photo credit: Audrey Moustoukas and Angela Hayes

An inspiring and one-of-a-kind doctor has been remembered as “one of the good guys” by those who knew him.

Dr Frederick Morgan died on April 20, at the age of 85.

Dr Morgan was a born and bred South Burnett man and lived in the region for most of his life.

He was born in Wondai on June 20, 1940, and he grew up on a dairy farm in Stonelands.

Dr Fred Morgan as a young boy in 1942. Photo credit: Audrey Moustoukas and Angela Hayes

As a young boy, he had a few close calls with death.

He was once kicked in the chest by his brother’s horse, knocked unconscious, and rushed to hospital — where doctors had to remove his spleen and give him a blood transfusion to save his life.

The man who provided the blood was Irish, and after the transfusion was done, he told Fred’s father “he will be very fine, he now has fighting Irish blood”.

On another occasion, he was swept down a flooded creek while riding his pony, Mystery, and miraculously, both survived.

He showed a strong interest in anatomy and chemistry as a young boy, but left school during his primary years and never went to high school.

He spent his teenage and young adult years working in the sugar industry, first at a sugar mill in the Bundaberg region, before moving into sugar chemistry and research.

Dr Morgan met his late wife, Marcia, while working in the sugar industry and the pair married in 1966.

A few years later, at 26 years old, he decided to pursue a career in medicine and enrolled at the University of Queensland.

Dr Fred Morgan in the mid 1960s, when he started studying medicine. Photo credit: Audrey Moustoukas and Angela Hayes

Dr Morgan’s sister, Audrey Moustoukas, was friends with Marcia before the two started their relationship and said “behind every successful man, there is a good woman”.

Marcia worked at the Moggill Veterinary School to help support them while he was studying, then worked alongside her husband as a receptionist in this practice and took care of their farm at Toogoolawah while he worked long hours.

She was a familiar face to his patients, and was known for being kind and generous.

Dr Morgan started his general practice in Nanango in 1981, moving back to the region where he was born.

He served the community for close to 40 years, finally selling his practice in 2018 when he was 78 years old.

In 2021, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to medicine as a general practitioner.

He was also a former Queensland state government medical officer and a member of the South Nanango rural fire brigade.

He played a pivotal role in establishing Karinya-Nanango Residential Care Home, one of the few care homes in the region.

Dr Morgan and his wife were keen pilots, and were well known in the aviation community.

Audrey said the best way to describe her older brother was as a “very kind person” who would do anything for anybody.

She remembered one instance where a Nanango woman had a trailer and water tank stolen from her property, and Dr Morgan supplied a new tank for her and re-fenced some of her paddock himself.

“He was very good to other people,” she said.

Dr Fred Morgan OAM loved to fly and was an avid pilot. Photo credit: Audrey Moustoukas and Angela Hayes

He kept his calm in emergencies and high-stress situations, becoming the person everyone in the family turned to for solutions.

Audrey said her brother was a serious man who “couldn’t tolerate idiots”, but was very kind hearted and was always there when you needed him.

“If you wanted a doctor in the middle of the night, you just rang him,” she said.

“If you wanted him, he was there.”

Retired Brisbane neurosurgeon, Dr Michael Redmond OAM, knew Dr Morgan through their work as he had referred patients from Nanango to him for his specialty over the years.

He described Dr Morgan as exceptionally hardworking, regularly working long hours — to the extent that, upon his retirement, “you probably needed two doctors to replace him”.

“He was an amazing general practitioner,” Dr Redmond said.

“He was the sort of GP that everybody wants to have.

“He was very hardworking, very unselfish, he worked extraordinarily long hours. He was always available if any emergency happened.

“He had a reputation of being a doctor who was very devoted to his patients. And a very good doctor.”

Dr Fred Morgan and his late wife, Marcia, when he was presented with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to medicine as a general practitioner in 2021. Photo credit: Audrey Moustoukas and Angela Hayes

Hundreds of South Burnett locals passed on their condolences and shared memories of Dr Morgan on social media, with many people reminiscing about the unique and high quality care he provided his patients.

“Dr Morgan was the only Dr I’ve ever been to who treated you as a friend right from the get go,” Joyce shared.

“The clock was not his friend... his patient was.”

“He was an amazing Doctor but also an incredibly inspiring person,” Elly said.

“He lived a life putting so many people and the community before himself. As did Marcy.

“There will never be anyone else like them. I feel so privileged to have worked, laughed and cried beside him for many years and long hours.”

“They don’t make doctors like Fred anymore. He was absolutely brilliant and cared for everyone,” Julie wrote.

A memorial service for Dr Morgan will be held in the coming months, with details yet to be announced.

Originally published as Nanango’s Dr Frederick Morgan OAM remembered as ‘hardest working GP’