After 37 years caring for New Farm as a general practitioner (GP), co-founder of the Merthyr Medical Centre Dr Leon Kondos has retired.
Having looked after generations, Dr Kondos said he has grown alongside his patients, and there have been tears on both sides while saying goodbye to some of the patients he has known for 30 years.
For him, assisting people with substance abuse problems to make even incremental changes in their life has been just as fulfilling as helping people with everyday health concerns or providing end of life care.
Alongside his GP practice, Dr Kondos worked at the nearby Queensland Aboriginal Islander Alcohol & Drug Service.
“These were often people off the streets… and I used to give them as much attention and energy as I would a CEO of big company here,” Dr Kondos said.
“One of the things I enjoyed was trying to see that there was occasionally a little bit of balance in the world, because often there’s not. And over the 30 years, I think we did some good for that community.”
Dr Kondos moved to New Farm in 1990, spending five years as one of several solo practitioners at 665 Brunswick Street, next to St Michael and All Angels Church.
In his building were the now retired Dr Michael Horwood and Dr Gordon Lulham, and the late Dr Ed Moo, who would go on to found the centre in Merthyr Village with him.
They, as well as some other doctors, met every Monday night for a year before they made the move.
“I approached the other three and I said listen, what about we all get together?” Dr Kondos said.
“Ed would bring some king prawns, Charlie [Salanitri] would have some Italian food, I’d bring some wine, and we’d all have a meeting… and it was almost like Dory the fish. We would talk about the same thing just about every Monday night…
“But what happened was that we got to know each other quite well and we worked out who we would gel with.”
He believes this is why, despite the shared challenges of running a medical practice, he and his partners never had a single argument.
Dr Kondos recalled long hours between the four doctors – the centre was open seven days a week, until 10pm on weekdays.
“Bulk billing back then was hard going… and it was crazy busy,” he said.
“I used to say that if we worked flat out on the weekend, and you took the family out for dinner on Sunday night, after all your expenses and your tax, you’d probably break about even.”
His friendship with other long term business owners in Merthyr Village will endure.
“We have a very close association over a long period of time, and a friendship has formed with these people which will continue beyond my retirement,” Dr Kondos said.
“It’s a little community, and that’s what I love about New Farm.”
He said the demographic has changed significantly since he first started, from low-income migrants and boarding house tenants to the more affluent residents living here today.
Still on his roster, despite his retirement, are some of his nursing home patients. Over the years he estimates he has had about 200 nursing home patients.
It was important to Dr Kondos to pass on the reigns to someone with an independent practice, rather than selling to a corporate owner, so Dr Sima Vakili has now taken over ownership of the centre.
“The most critical thing I think with general practice is not only having good doctors but having continuity. As soon as someone walks in, if I know them, I can tell whether they are unwell or not,” he said.
Dr Kondos knew from the age of six that he wanted to be a doctor.
The seed was planted when his Year 1 teacher injured his finger and asked young Leon to help.
“It was something simple like that that, when I just said, ‘I like looking after people’. And then as I went through school, I only had one career ambition; that was to do medicine.”
Dr Kondos reflected on some of the challenges in Australia’s health system, noting the incredible cost of the industry.
“I would hate to be a politician looking after finances, because health – as much as money you tip in, it’s almost like a bottomless pit.
“There are always new drugs and new treatments which are enormously expensive until they come off the patent. So the cost of medicine is really challenging,” he said.
He added that ensuring GPs are well supported is important to prevent the need for serious medical care down the track, which puts pressure on hospitals.
“If you look after these general practitioners really well, then the general practitioners will look after the people well. Not only do we manage, we prevent [illness].
“So if people can only afford to come in when they’re unwell, and they can’t afford to come in when they’re well, then we can’t look after blood pressure and heart disease and diabetes and the rest of it.
“I think looking after general practice is critical. I don’t think the government has looked after general practice over the last two decades,” he said.
While he has been sure to provide advice to the younger doctors in his practice, he said it is a two-way street.
“They’re freshly graduated, so they know the cutting edge of the medical side… sometimes they might know better than I do.”
After more than three decades spent caring for people, Dr Kondos has found that success in work and in life comes down to your attitude.
“It’s not intelligence which dictates how well a person does, no matter what their career is. I think it’s the energy and enthusiasm that people put into a business or into a profession… and the want to do the right thing,” he said.
While he will treasure the close relationships he has built with his staff over the years, his daughter Georgia’s time working on the front desk has been particularly delightful.
“I have been lucky to have her in my final stint here,” he said.
In his retirement, he plans to spend more time with his beautiful partner Kath and family, and reconnect with his family heritage by brushing up on his Greek language skills.
