FIRST INDIGENOUS SURGEON

Accidental Hero

By Indigenous Stock Exchange
Administrator

FIRST INDIGENOUS SURGEON AN 'ACCIDENTAL HERO'

By Clair Weaver

November 12, 2006 01:00am

A NSW man has made history by becoming Australia's first Aboriginal surgeon.

Dr Kelvin Kong, who completed his final advanced training exams this year, is working as an ear, nose and throat specialist at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst.

The 32-year-old told The Sunday Telegraph he hopes to inspire more indigenous people to pursue careers in medicine and other academic arenas.

"I feel like a bit of an accidental hero because I don't like the limelight at all," he said.

"The ideal day will be when it's not special - when there are thousands of indigenous doctors."

Dr Kong credits his mother, Grace Kinsella, a registered nurse, for inspiring him and his 34-year-old twin sisters to become doctors.

Dr Marilyn Clarke (nee Kong) was Australia's first Aboriginal obstetrician, while GP Dr Marlene Kong has just returned from Israel, where she completed a masters degree in public health.

"When we were growing up, Mum would always look after everyone in our community," Dr Kong said.

"Our house was always full of people who had come to see Mum."

Dr Kong, whose mother is Aboriginal and father Tony is Chinese, grew up in Port Stephens, north of Newcastle.

"I had never thought about university, let alone Year 11 or 12, because no one in the family had been to university before," Dr Kong said.

"But the fact that mum had the belief in me was instrumental in helping me do it."

The number of Aboriginal people getting into medicine, dentistry and law is on the increase in Australia.

There are now around 100 doctors, 150 medical students and 50 dentists.

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