First published Thursday, March 14, 2019

By Ali Bohn

As many of you may have guessed, I love presenting these chats to our readers. The anticipation I feel before meeting each person I interview is not unlike a kid on Christmas Eve. It’s exciting for me to think I’m about to meet someone who is happy to sit down and tell me about their history and it’s completely up to them how much, or what, they would like to divulge. 

However, today it’s different. For the first time in the three-plus years I’ve been conducting these interviews, I am utterly nervous as can be. I feel way out of my depth and frightened of making a fool of myself for asking some silly question.

Why, you might wonder? That is because today I’m about to go into the home of a local Cohuna icon. A man of his calibre and recognition is extremely busy within the community doing what he does best, being Dr Peter Barker, and I don’t want to intrude on too much of his time. 

With trembling hand, I knock on the door and immediately I am greeted by the lovely Shirlene, Peter’s wife who is diligently tending to paper work. She retires to the office and I go into the living room and sit down to chat.

“I’ve got a lady in labour Ali, so I’ll keep my phone close.”

Today I’ve broken the rules, well, sort of.

Normally, I only interview people I haven’t met previously; however, I met Peter Barker on a professional level a few years ago when he helped me through a most difficult personal time for my family and me. For just a few visits, it was apparent that he showed a high level of professional and compassionate care that was precisely ‘what the doctor ordered’ at the time.

Sitting in his beautiful home today, I’m wondering (still nervously) if I will uncover a different side to Peter. If only my pen would keep up with his wealth of information I hope to be able to get it all down in print!

Peter Barker was born on November 13, 1955 in Bentley, Melbourne. The son of Peter and Jo, he is the third of five siblings – John, Susan, (Peter), Robyn and Joanne.

“My father was a solicitor, and then he became a barrister and then a master of The Supreme Court. He was originally from Tatura. His mother was Balinese and two of his siblings were born in Indonesia. Dad’s father patented a method of curing rubber. Dad died of lung cancer at the age of 65.

“My mother was originally from Shepparton and she was a home maker. She suffered terribly with her mental health after each child. She was in and out of hospital her entire life undergoing shock treatment and other forms of therapy. She was a wonderful mother when she was present however. We were mostly brought up with carers due to her health. One carer I remember was a Spanish lady who spoke very little English and one day she needed to use the bathroom, and did so right there on the lounge room floor!

“Eventually they discovered that Mum had a tumour which had most likely been the cause of her depression. 

“Dad was very happy-go-lucky, but he struggled with my mother’s health concerns. He used alcohol as a release for a time but he got through it. Mum eventually went into care after Dad died. She was in her 80’s when she passed away and she was at peace then. 

“We were an extremely close family and were part of a big family of 26 cousins.”

Peter attended St. Finbar’s Brighton Primary School and then went on to De La Salle College in Malvern, and it was there that Peter embraced the Catholic values that he continues to live by to this day. He liked school very much, even though born left handed, he was forced to change (with some degree of difficulty) to a right handed student.

“Ever since then, I couldn’t spell! I always enjoyed science and sport at school; I loved football, cricket, athletics and swimming.

“In Year 10, I was a member of the debating team. I was also school captain for junior and senior school. It was as important to me as it was to my parents to have a good education, and science was such a passion for me. That’s when I started looking at possibly studying medicine, especially the humanitarian side, which probably had a lot to do with what my mother had been going through with her depression. That’s when I realised I really wanted to help people.”

Peter mentions his father as well as the Christian brothers as some of his strongest role models growing up, which provided him with solid foundations for his future.

“So, I decided to study medicine at Monash University in Melbourne. It was great fun. I was like a little fish in a big pond. Even though the school I had come from was an excellent school, it was relatively small compared to the schools some of the other students had come from. De La Salle was a school of 144 kids, and 12 of those went onto Uni.

“I was excited about University and looked forward to the outcome but there was certainly a time when I wondered if I could actually do it. Then four years into the course, I was given the opportunity to go to Alice Springs and work for Fred Hollows dealing with Aboriginal health. The practical experience was amazing and it was then, while I was working for a month on my own, that I realised I didn’t have to go to all the tutorials to pass. It was the practical stuff that counted the most, there was so much to learn. That really clicked with me and then I was back on track again.

“I also completed some training in New Guinea with the army, and spent one month on Manus Island. We went to the camp by army planes; that was pretty scary, we lost one of the propellers from the plane! It was such a great experience. It was so remote.

“There were husbands who had their wives there with them, and the wives hated it because they were bored, they struggled because there was nothing there. I remember being in Gumine going down the river. It was a bit of a thrill seeking activity and has since been banned for being too dangerous! 

“I came home realising that medicine was definitely the career for me. I was an intern at Box Hill where I finished the course and that’s when I decided I wanted to get into obstetrics. 

“I did my third year in the UK with Yorkshire Obstetrics and then my anaesthetist training with Midlands. There was a lot of work in the UK so it was a great place to learn. I went there on my own and I think it was good for me to experience that on my own. 

“My parents were very encouraging and I was grateful for the opportunity to be able to do it.”

Peter Barker is extremely proud and passionate about his work, and listening to him talk about his journey to get to where he is today is as inspirational as it is touching. However, pausing for a moment doesn’t even come into the conversation as he continues with his amazing story.

“In 1983 my brother’s house burnt down in Lorne and it made me homesick so I decided to come home. I missed my family. I was sent to Cohuna by the RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) with the idea of staying for six months. 

“I then did a locum in Barham before coming back to Cohuna. 

“That was almost 37 years ago, and I’m still here.”

Completely taken by the appeal of country hospitality, the generosity of the locals and the great care offered by the hospital, Peter had found his place and felt at home in this wonderful community. He was adamant that he would be an independent doctor and continued to keep his studies up to date with new treatment ideas and medicines within a modern framework.

“I just felt that while I’m still studying and still learning that I won’t burn out. I’m still that way now. I felt there was a need for a variety of treatments in the country as it was a long way for people to travel to get other treatments if I couldn’t offer them. I just wanted to keep everyone happy.”

I ask Peter about the first baby he delivered, and it’s a memory that is as fresh today as though it happened just yesterday.

“I was in Geelong. Part of our training was that you had to do 25 deliveries and five episiotomies before you qualified. It was a wonderful event. I still get the same feeling from delivering a baby to this day. The best way to explain it is that your main focus is to make it a good experience for the woman and a safe experience for the baby. I decided that because it was such a beautiful moment that I would take a polaroid of each baby the moment it was born, and I still continue to do so. Sometimes the mother didn’t want that but once everything is settled, they’re grateful to have had the moment captured. It’s a very intense moment and it’s important to me that the mother feels very safe and not as though she is just another number. Every mother is equally as important as the next. Now I’m delivering the next generation which is pretty special.”

As rewarding and elating as helping bring a baby into the world is for Peter, it is never without its challenges. This is something that Peter accepts is “all part of the job” but not something he takes lightly.

“When there is a sick baby, that is particularly challenging, as is helping loved ones through trauma, death, aging and going into care. I always treat these situations with the utmost respect and care and sometimes that makes it rewarding. I try to never bring my work home. That’s why I have Noddy in my office! That’s a little statue of Noddy I have on my shelf and at the end of each day before I go home I tell him my worries, and leave them with him. It works for me!”

Making the permanent move to Cohuna, Peter was struck by the relaxed and friendly nature of Shirlene. She was “an intelligent auburn haired receptionist at the Cohuna clinic,” and Peter couldn’t wait to ask her out.

At this point, Shirlene comes into the lounge room, keen to hear Peter’s version of their first date, to which she fills in the blanks when required.

“Your hair was short, wasn’t it Shirl?” He asks his wife.

“Yes, and being the 80’s, I’d say it was permed!” Shirlene laughs, “we went out for Chinese takeaway in Cohuna and he ordered shark fin soup!”

“I think you had chicken and sweet corn soup, didn’t you Shirl?”

Peter and Shirlene were married April 9th 1988 in Cohuna, and honeymooned on Great Keppel Island, stopping in Sydney on the way to see the stage show Les Miserables. 

“I told Shirl when we got married that she’d never be bored because I always like to keep busy!”

Two years into their marriage, they welcomed their first daughter, Kelsey.

“I remember holding her for the first time and it felt like I was standing on a 20 foot cliff, I felt so happy. Then Holly came along in 1993, and then Tess in 1998. I felt the same elation for the birth of each of my daughters. It takes a while to get to know a new baby but once we bonded it was amazing.”

I am conscious and respectful of Peter’s request for privacy regarding his family’s business, but one thing he is very happy for me to mention is the accomplishment he feels along with his wife over the children they have raised. 

Peter and Shirlene seem to have the perfect balance of all the elements it takes to pave the way for the kind of children any parent would wish for. Each of their three daughters is grounded, community connected, respectful and confident.

“They all attended local schools; we encouraged them to all work locally, and all three worked at the local supermarket. This helped them to be connected with people from all walks of life. We have always encouraged them to play sport and the importance of losing as well as winning. We’ve tried to give them good guidance, and when they were getting the wobblies about their Uni courses, we’d just remind them of the great jobs they would have at the end of the course. That seemed to get them back on track. 

“We didn’t mind if they went to Uni or whatever they decided to do, just as long as they did it with pride and to the best of their ability. 

“Ever since they were born they have been surrounded by books and magazines like National Geographic. 

“Kelsey is a dentist and her husband Charlie is going to work with me as a GP for a while. Holly is a physiotherapist and Tess is an architecture student. I think my kids are all smarter than me!”

As a resident of Cohuna, Peter has been involved in playing squash, played football for Leitchville and more recently, learnt to fly and to dive for fresh water pearls. He says that he especially enjoys diving in the creek and loves the anticipation of swimming through the unpredictable murky water.

He hands me his mobile phone and shows me a photo of what looks like a Cadbury Chocolate company car from way back when. I look to him for clarification.

“This is my latest project. I like to tinker a bit on this. It’s a 1937 Nash. Kelsey chose that colour, it’s a bit like Cadbury purple, isn’t it?”

We both laugh.

As a prominent figure in the district, Peter says that while he is grateful for the accolade, he tries to step back in the shadows a little, as he doesn’t like the limelight unless it is absolutely necessary and directly relevant to something he can address.

“As much as I like to be involved, I don’t want to be a pest. Bringing up children and working long hours has meant I haven’t been with them as much as I would ideally have liked to, but Shirl has always done a wonderful job with them, and has been involved in everything with them. I always tried to get to all of their sports events.”

Each time I have gone to put my pen down, Peter comes out with another anecdote into what makes him tick and I’m once again scribbling away on my notepad. I hope I can read these notes when I type this into a draft!

“I’m into making silver jewellery too, mostly from pearls. I love upgrading my skills and always want to learn something new. I guess that’s my artistic streak!” He smiles.

Peter recently welcomed his first grandchild, a little girl named Ada, and he couldn’t be more proud.

“Yes, she’s pretty special. I didn’t deliver her, I didn’t deliver any of my girls either. As hard as it can be sometimes, I prefer that someone else takes care of their medical needs. Maybe because I know too much and would worry.”

It’s impossible not to want to take some of Peter’s spirit with you when you hear him talk about the passion he still feels for his role to this day. I think that today we’ve only scratched the surface of his experiences and memories so far, but, alas we are coming towards the interview, I think!?

“I love my work, I really do. I treat every patient with the same care as I would if I were treating my own daughter or sibling. Every one of them is as important as each other. 

“My consultations are longer than some doctors consultations, but I never want to leave a stone unturned when a patient visits me. I want them to walk away feeling as though they have been given answers or at least walking away with a plan as to how we can best treat their concern. Ideally, they will leave my office feeling better than when they arrived. I think it’s important for everybody to keep everything in moderation and to keep the mind busy. Where possible, keep moving as much as you can.”

Peter is checking his phone (ever the doctor on call). He is still awaiting the call to tend to the lady in labour, but he still has a few moments left with me.

“To my children I would like to say not to worry about results, just as long as you’re having a go. Don’t expect everything to be handed to you. If you try – I’m delighted, if you get there – I’m amazed. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. 

“They all know how I feel about them; I tell them all the time.”

Happiness these days for Peter Barker is split into short sentences.

“Health + Happiness = Wealth. Being involved and being useful means you’re loved. I believe in karma – you get back what you give.”

Leaving my favourite question for last, and his answer has made me realise that I am leaving the interview without the nerves, and somewhat enlightened. What advice can you give to this current generation?

“Go forwards 40 years into your future, look back and ask yourself what you have done to make it better. Then work out the pathway to get there.”

Peter Barker it has truly been an honour listening to your story today, and I will take on board your words of wisdom.