Community
22 April, 2026
GP bids farewell
ONE of Timboon Medical Clinic’s general practitioners is saying goodbye after 16 years of dedicated service to the community.
Dr Andrea Hedgland came to Timboon from New Zealand during a locum and fell in love with the town and its people, which eventually led her to moving to town permanently.
“I was living in New Zealand with my children and we needed to put an extension on the house for another bedroom because we’d just had a fourth child and I came out to do a locum and Timboon was a lovely place and they convinced me to stay,” she said.
“I went back to New Zealand to grow the youngest one up a bit because he was only six months old, so we waited until he was a little bit older – he was one when we came out to Timboon.
“It was originally full time living here in Timboon and as the children grew up a bit my husband wanted them to go to a Catholic school so then we moved across to Warrnambool in 2013.
“I kept coming back and was originally working two days a week in town and doing an on call at the hospital.
“I liked all the old patients, the clinic and staff – it’s just a nice community and a nice place to work.”
Dr Hedgland said the plan was never to stay for too long, but it was never the right time to leave until recently with a new doctor on the way.
“Originally the intention was just to do that until there were enough doctors here then entrench back to Warrnambool but it sort of never happened because we’d get enough doctors but then someone would leave, and then we wouldn’t have enough doctors and I didn’t want to be leaving,” she said.
“I did drop down to one day but recently it’s been a very big day and then overnight at the hospital which I feel is too much for me as I’m getting older.
“We’re getting a new female doctor coming out from Ireland at the end of this month and Katherine (Gorringe, practice manager) said if I was half thinking of going then now was the right time so I thought okay, it’s the right time, time to let go.
“I made the decision and I’m going to have a day off and wake up in my own bed.”
Dr Hedgland said she did her training in regional New Zealand, noting she was always drawn to rural practice.
“I don’t like cities, I did my training in regional and rural areas because it’s what I like,” she said.
“Maybe cities are just a bit big and busy and not my thing.
“Early on I went out to outback New South Wales because my husband’s family were mining and so they were all out there – his sister was getting married out there so we went out for the wedding and they needed a doctor so we stayed there for four years.
“That was before we had children and we liked it there too.”
Dr Hedgland and her husband had a brief stint in Italy before having children, returning to New Zealand to start a family.
Dr Hedgland returned to rural New South Wales to complete locums between children and it was by chance her husband chose Timboon, one lucky time which brought her family to the district.
“I’m going to miss the people – the patients and the staff,” Dr Hedgland said.
“There’s very nice, gentle people here in Timboon.
“Everyone, the staff, the patients, when we first moved here it was amazing how nice everyone was.
“No matter what their problems were they were just very nice people.”
Dr Hedgland will be continuing her general practice work in Warrnambool, working in aged care and at an Aboriginal health clinic, but said she was looking forward to having a day off just to relax and spend time at home.
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