Illawarra Medical Centre recently celebrated its 30th anniversary milestone. Established by Principal GP – Dr Alan Leeb – in 1994, the practice has grown from a small office style clinic with a handful of staff to become the busy practice, with more than 20 support staff and 16 doctors, that it is today. In this month’s blog, Dr Alan Leeb reflects on the changes, challenges and triumphs of the last 30 years.
In the beginning. . .
“It’s hard to believe it’s been three decades since this journey began. When I started Illawarra Medical Centre, I was young – only 37 years of age, black hair, full of energy, naïve and senseless. I suppose the only thing that’s changed, is that I am now classed as a senior citizen, grey, not so energetic, but still naive and senseless!” Dr Leeb said.
“When I first started in Ballajura, it was just my original Receptionist – Carol – and I. Carol had a single phone line and a wire bound A4 book, where she wrote down the names of our bookings in a column on the left, with the date at the top and down the right side of the page a column for fees, which were diligently totalled at the end of each day.
“Those books were our bible. If the power went down, we still had the book. We had little post card sized patient cards with minimal records. It was all very simple and efficient and it just worked!
“I think I learned more real medicine from Carol in those first few years than any medical textbook. She had such an in depth knowledge of the community and their context that was far more important than the medical illness itself.
The changes over the years
“From there we grew the practice. Firstly, internally; then by expanding into the carpark at the back of the centre, followed by the police station, and then a join between the two buildings.
“We then expanded further into what is now our existing building, which had been a Caltex service station in a previous life. As such, it took a really long five years to remove all the hydrocarbons out of the ground before we could safely build.
“And here we are 13 years later with our medical centre, accompanied by the physio and dental suites – who have both been with us since those early days – and an on-site pharmacy too.
“It’s not only the practice that has changed over the last 30 years; there have been significant changes in the medical field itself.
“Over the last three decades, we’ve weathered more pandemics than anyone signed up for, tackled enough paperwork to make a rainforest cry, and still managed to smile through most of it – mainly because the coffee machine was always working!
“Sadly, even with all the technology available to us today, we still use much more paper than we should and, believe it or not, the fax machine is still alive and functioning.”
Illawarra Medical Centre’s primary purpose
“Community and family are the cornerstone of human wellbeing and societal strength. They provide a sense of belonging, emotional support, and shared values that help individual’s navigate life’s challenges and celebrate its many joys.
“The IMC family and the wide community we serve is built on a foundation of trust, collaboration, and respect.
“Our primary goal has always been to serve the healthcare needs of our demographic to the highest possible standard, while striving to create and maintain a positive work culture for our staff and contract doctors.
“It has been wonderful to see the practice acknowledged for this in recent years, through a number of accolades including RACGP WA Practice of the Year in 2019, RACGP GP Supervisor of the Year in 2022, and the Health and Wellbeing Services Award at his year’s Swan Chamber of Commerce and City of Swan Business Awards.
“At the end of the day, what we all want in life is to have made a difference. Making a difference – whether in someone’s life, our community, or the world – gives a profound sense of purpose and fulfillment. Every small act of kindness or effort to leave things better than we found them contributes to that legacy.
The Illawarra Medical Centre Team
“Of course, none of this can be achieved without a team effort, and the Illawarra Medical Centre team are really like a family to me, in the truest sense of the word.
“Over the past 30 years, I’ve had the unwavering support of my wife and family and the very special privilege of working alongside my own daughter as a GP, who was only 12 when I started the practice.
“We have trained around 100 GP registrars, countless medical students, and handful of nursing students over the years and many of those registrars have stayed on and become part of the IMC fabric today.
“In fact, overall, just over half of our entire team has been with us for ten years or more, including seven out of our 15 doctors, one out of our five nurses, five out of our 10 receptionists, and three out of our five administration team.
“Their dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence has shaped not only our workplace, but also the lives of countless individuals that we’ve had the honour of serving.
“I am immensely grateful for the dedication, passion and loyalty that the team has brought to our practice and our patients over the years and the community is truly fortunate to have such remarkable people at IMC.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past 30 years, it’s that when you’ve got a team like this, a community like ours, and just the right amount of caffeine – anything is possible!
The future
“In reflecting on the last 30 years, it’s been remarkable to see and appreciate just how far we’ve come, thanks to a lot of laughter, hard work, and always striving to make a difference.
“It’s also exciting to think about how much farther we’ll go and I look forward to keeping the adventure going!”