Three years after the Great Quack Quest music video captured the attention of the world, the Temora Medical Centre welcomes a new GP who is ready to make Temora home.
Dr Sheraz Mumtaz took up the opportunity to fill a position at the Temora Medical Complex after becoming aware of a major media campaign to attract doctors to regional Australia – a joint venture between the Temora Medical Complex and Temora Shire Council.
Dr Mumtaz first became aware of Temora’s Great Quack Quest when he asked an online doctors’ networking forum for suggestions for safe and friendly Australian country towns in which to live and work.
“I got over a hundred responses to my question with people giving a range of suggestions, but one comment was simply a link to a YouTube dance video called the Great Quack Quest. It had me intrigued,” said Dr Mumtaz.
“When I watched the video I thought, this is exactly what I’m looking for – a community with a sense of humour that knows how to have fun.”
Originally from the UK, the family relocated to Temora from Qatar last week where they spent the past three years. Prior to living in the Middle East, the family lived in Sydney and Perth.
“I grew up in a small country town, it’s where I feel most comfortable. So, we weren’t looking to live in another city,” said Dr Mumtaz. “After the phone interview with Dr Christmas I knew Temora was the right fit for our family.”
Joining Dr Mumtaz in his new venture is his wife, Nabila, and three children, Isla (7), Adam (5), and Niall (2).
“We are all looking forward to immersing ourselves into the Temora Shire community,” said Dr Mumtaz. “The children will attend school locally and in time we will join sporting clubs and other community programs.”
Dr Mumtaz is a GP who has a keen interest in aged care medicine, diabetes and holistic family care.
“Having a new GP means our Practice can see more patients within a tighter timeframe. Patients have a broader choice of which doctor they want to see, and the pressures on all our doctors, particularly with managing our on-call time at the hospital, is eased slightly,” said Temora Medical Complex GP, Dr Rachel Christmas.
Dr Christmas was thrilled with her initial contact with Dr Mumtaz as she felt he just ‘got it’ after viewing the Great Quack Quest music video.
“The music video was intended to be a tongue-in-cheek way of showing the community spirit and standing out from other rural communities searching for medical professionals. We’re delighted that the video resonated with Dr Mumtaz, he is exactly what we are looking for.”
Three years on, attracting GPs to rural areas continues to be challenging. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported in 2021 that around 20 per cent of Australia’s rural population is unable to see a GP due to the shortage of doctors.
“There is a perception among many city doctors that rural communities are isolated with a lack of medical facilities. In reality, many rural communities, such as Temora, have world-class facilities and a thriving community,” explained Dr Christmas.
The search (or should we say quest) for new doctors was cultivated with the desire to create something that would grab media attention, had never been done before, and that would showcase the community of Temora Shire as not just a place to work, but a place to call home. From this concept the Temora’s Great Quack Quest music video was born.
A marketing company was engaged to manage the monumental task of bringing the concept to fruition. The campaign took five months of preparation, including engaging a music production house to write the catchy lyrics and original music score.
“Choreographer, Jordan Kelly, and super talented lead dancers, Samantha Williams and Garrett Kelly took on the challenge to front the ensemble. But the real stars were the members of the community that came in droves to create something truly magical,” said Dr Christmas.
Around 100 Temora residents attended countless rehearsals leading up to the three-day shoot. Given the scale of the production, onlookers would be forgiven for thinking it was Hollywood film set. Dancing and singing for the cameras in intense summer heat, demonstrated the passion and commitment of the Temora Shire community to find new doctors for their beloved town.
The music video was launched on Wednesday 6 March, 2019, and within 24 hours had reached 25,000 organic views across Facebook and YouTube. By Friday evening it was clear that the quest to grab the attention of the media was a success. Dr Christmas featured in live interviews on the Today Show, The Morning Show, ABC national news and The Project. The town of Temora and the challenge of attracting doctors to rural communities across Australia was thrown into the national spotlight.
“The media attention and Dr Mumtaz’s arrival to Temora is justification that our crazy idea worked,” Dr Christmas said. “But the Quest for GPs continues for Temora and many other rural communities.”
The Great Quack Quest music video can be found on YouTube or on the Great Quack Quest Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/greatquackquest/
