“It’s been great,” he told The Examiner. “It’s very exciting. For brain health in Northern Tasmania, and for me personally.”

“I just saw someone yesterday who was from a town I didn’t even know near Devonport – and so she’d traveled all the way from the North-West. But it’s much closer than Hobart obviously.”

Dr Matthew Lee-Archer returns to his home city after nearly two decades of work in the field, from Melbourne and Brisbane to a neurology-only hospital in central London.

It has been been straight to work for the specialist however, beginning Monday after accepting the second of two permanent full-time neurologist jobs advertised after the resignation of Dr Kurien Koshy.

On his departure in mid-2017, Dr Koshy – the sole full-time neurologist in the region at the time – cited ongoing concerns around workload and a lack of effort to expand the services in the region.

The now-finalised recruitment of two neurologists at the Launceston General Hospital comes after decades of having either one, or no, practitioners, Health Minister Michael Ferguson said.

“It means access to services for North and North-West patients will be significantly improved as these neurologists will be able to function as a unit, rather than sole practitioners.

“Dr Lee-Archer is a wonderful addition to our hospital, filling a longstanding specialist service gap for what is an extremely competitive recruiting area.”

These appointments also follow the recruitment of two endocrinologists at the LGH, after a decade-long drought for full-time specialists in that area, Mr Ferguson added.

“These appointments all represent a significant boost to health services at the LGH, providing a range of vital services.

“We are committed to increasing health services, opening beds and employing more staff, and we have already recruited more than 100 additional doctors since coming to office.”

RELATED: Dr Aaron De Souza accepts neurologist position at LGH

Dr Aaron De Souza had also recently made the move to Tasmania, commencing his appointment with the Tasmanian Health Service this week.

As part of College requirements Dr De Souza will first undergoing a period of supervision at the Royal Hobart Hospital of up to 12 months before starting at the LGH.

He is joined by his family, who have settled in Launceston.

Also joined by his family, is Dr Lee-Archer.

Four of his five children will begin school next week, with his wife set to study fine art at the University of Tasmania.

Dr Lee-Archer’s roots run deep in the state: one relative, an architect, was responsible for a range of buildings in the early 19^th century including the Tasmanian Parliament and the Ross Bridge.

But his eye is set firmly forward, in life and in work.

“Training to become a specialist doctor ... you do move about a lot,” he said. “It’ll be fantastic to be finally settling down in a community that is so welcoming.”

“There’s a great need at the moment, so we’re really looking to build a service for the future.”

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