A quiet community worker for more than 35 years, Timothy Mooney was reluctant to make a fuss about his Queen’s Birthday Honour.
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The George Town general practitioner has been made a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to medicine through a range of multiple practice roles, to doctors in rural and remote areas, and to the community”.
His list of positions and service is as long as it is impressive.
He has been a medical officer for several organisations including the George Town Council, Department Veteran Affairs, Australian Defence Forces, Bell Bay Aluminium and Launceston General Hospital.
The George Town doctor has dedicated most of his career to improving the quality of medical care to people in rural areas.
He was a founding member of the Rural Doctors Association Tasmania, before going on to be secretary and treasurer.
Dr Mooney remains a board member of the Tasmanian Branch, Royal Flying Doctor Service, and a mentor for medical students at a range of organisations.
His resume, of mostly volunteer service, spans several pages.
Even he was surprised with the amount of medical work he had completed.
“I looked at that and I thought, gee whizz, I have been busy,” he laughed.
Dr Mooney, whose father was also made a Member of the Order of Australia, was “surprised and humbled” by the recognition.
“You just get on with doing things not only for your local community but more on a national basis for rural doctors,” he said.
“I suspect some people in the local community have been behind this and I very much appreciate the fact that the local community recognises that rural doctors are a very great part of the community – and dedicated part.”
It is the urge to make a difference that kept the George Town GP working to help others over many years.
“As opposed to sitting in your own area and saying what should be done, be active within a broader community,” he said.
