Doctor Ben Hanson may have just began working in Lithgow, but the region isn't new to him- In fact he has called it home for the last 20 years.
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"I built a house and that was the home I was planning on retiring in. But I liked it so much that I started living there," Dr Hanson said.
"I just wasn't working in the area. I'd always intended to come here and work at some point."
According to Doctor Hanson "The stars aligned" when a position became available at Ochre Medical Centre after the retirement of Professor John Dearin in August.
" I knew Professor John Dearin, I met him mentioned numerous times. We just connected again and decided that he was looking to ease into retirement, and I was looking to move here," He said.
"It worked out."
Doctor Hanson found his passion for medicine during work experience as a teenager and has since formed a career spanning over 30 years.
"I really enjoyed it [work experience] a lot more than I was expecting to. I love the people contact And the continuity and the long term relationships that were formed," He said.
"It's nice to actually be helping people and making a difference."
A career in medicine has taken Doctor Hanson to the most unexpected places and offered unique opportunities- Including time in Asia and the Middle East.
"Eight years ago I decided to do a stint overseas, and had been offered some work in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and also in Saudi Arabia," Dr Hanson said.
"It was extremely challenging, but very interesting."
During that time, Doctor Hanson worked for numerous royal families, governments, built and opened hospitals and developed major IT systems.
" It was very fascinating to work in other cultures and see a totally different point of view and a completely different ways that health care can be delivered," He said.
Doctor Hanson said he has enjoyed working with Lithgow patients as they are "Good people" and he is striving to deliver high-quality preventative and ongoing care.
"There's a lot of really complex problems here that have not been dealt with or poorly dealt with. There's a lot of work to do," He said
"The health outcomes are quite bad compared to lots of other areas. I think there's some community challenges we have to fix together to try and improve outcomes."
Doctor Hanson said he hopes to tackle a range of deadly diseases he has observed Lithgow residents suffering from during his time at the medical centre.
"I've seen so many people die of heart disease in their 50s in this area. Strokes and other terrible things at a young age," He said.
"There's a list including mental health problems, respiratory disease. there's a lot that we need to sort out."
Doctor Hanson said recognises there can be a lot of inconsistencies due to Doctor's leaving the area and he wants to ensure the community he has no plans to leave.
" I'm not planning on moving anywhere. I've been wanting to come and live here full time for a long time," He said.
"Finally,I've had the opportunity."
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
