Alice Melita, North West Weekly

After 11 years of service to Cloncurry and the surrounding district, Dr Leonie Fromberg has decided it’s time to trade stunning desert sunsets for beautiful ocean sunrises as she moves from the North West to the Cassowary Coast.

Not only will it be a change of scenery but Dr Fromberg is hoping to find a better work-life balance.

She said that while the decision to move from Cloncurry was hard to make, she was looking forward to being able to spend more time with her husband Ben, who is a carpenter, as well as children Makenzii, 16, Alice, 12, and Neville, 6.

“I really miss spending time with my husband and children,” she said.

“One of the triggers for me to make a change to my circumstances was when my son got very cross and announced that his mother spends more time with other people’s kids, looking after them than her own kid,” Dr Fromberg said.

“Out of the mouths of babes, they say. He was right, of course.

“It shot (an) arrow through my heart that I needed for some self-reflection.”

Dr Fromberg and her family have decided on Bingle Bay as their new home.

“By January I will be settling into the Cassowary Coast where I have a job in the hospital in Tully as an SMO (senior medical officer) and will work as a GP at Tully Medical Centre.”

As Dr Fromberg loves ocean fishing she is keen to have more leisure time after the move.

“I am really looking forward to being able to walk on the beach as often as I want as we are building a house near Mission Beach. And have I mentioned fishing!”

Reflecting on her time in Cloncurry, Dr Fromberg said that while she had made some amazing friends, there had also been some difficult times.

“This job is hard. I completely lost any semblance of work-life balance about five years ago when I became medical superintendent at the Cloncurry Hospital,” she said.

Dr Fromberg said working in remote areas often meant long hours and high stress, which meant the personal life suffered.

“The flip side of that is the depth of knowledge and skill a doctor can develop out here,” she told North West Weekly.

“The number of patients and presentations allows for rapid development of skills and knowledge, it also allows for the development of courage and confidence.

“Remote doctors anywhere need to be very competent and be able to back themselves (because) you are it. If remote doctors didn’t provide that intense primary care in critical situations, our patients would fail to do well.”

Despite a plan to stay for only two years, Dr Fromberg has become integrated into the fabric of Cloncurry.

“There are a lot of people here I will miss,” she said.

“ I will miss the staff I work with at the Cloncurry Hospital.

“They work so hard and are often unsung heroes. They truly go the extra mile.”

Originally from Home Hill and Proserpine, Dr Fromberg decided to move to Cloncurry after studying in NSW.

As well as working as a GP, Dr Fromberg started as a resident medical officer at Cloncurry Hospital in July 2011.

“I was keen to get back to North Queensland (and) I wanted to know if rural generalism was all I thought it would be so I cold-called the practice manager in Cloncurry and asked for a job,” she said with a smile.

“I chose Cloncurry because of its remote location. I wanted to test myself.

“I had no idea I would come across one of the best rural generalist trainers in Australia when I met Dr Bryan Connor.

“That amazing doctor shaped me into who I am today personally and professionally.”

Before settling in her new home at Bingle Bay, Dr Fromberg will be spending time travelling and working in Western Australia.

“I’ve taken a job in Esperance where I can work two weeks on, two weeks off,” she said.

“I hope to reset myself and do some exploring of another part of this glorious country of ours.”

This article appeared in North West Weekly, 28 July 2022.