Dr Janet van Leerdam

This plaque is located at 62 Victoria St.

Dr Janet van Leerdam’s journey into the world of Australian medicine and the Cobden community has a sea-faring twist to it.

She worked as an assistant surgeon with P&O shipping lines on the SS Canberra and the SS Himalaya where her main task was to look after the crews. “I learnt a lot!” she said.

“It was also a wonderful opportunity to travel the world and meet wonderful people – the most memorable being former Australian prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies.”

Janet, born in Cheshire, south of Manchester (England), qualified as a doctor at Manchester University. After a year of mandatory hospital work, she delivered babies for six months before completing a diploma in anaesthetics “just like my father and grandfather”.

“After 18 months on-board service, I was able to leave the ship in Sydney to travel further and visit inland Australia,” she said. “A new friend found me a locum job with Dr John Brayshaw in Camperdown. On New Year’s Eve, 1972, a blind date was organised with this single guy – Keith van Leerdam. Six weeks later, we were engaged!!”

Janet feels privileged to have attended English private schools where she boarded from age 11. “My childhood was protected but growing up in post-war England did not provide many luxuries. University was a wonderful time – plenty of fun along with the study while living at home.”

Janet lists qualifying in medicine as one of her greatest achievements – an introduction to a wonderfully satisfying professional life. She is grateful to Dr Peter Fox (Timboon) who was the only doctor in the district prepared to employ a young female GP from England. Janet worked with Dr Fox for twelve years, until 1985, when she took the big step of setting up her Cobden practice – firstly, at the family home and, from 1987, here at the Hilltop Medical Centre where she practised for 21 years.

“I started with one patient a week and watched it grow into full-time work and, ultimately, I was able to provide a service to people beyond Cobden,” she said.

“Setting up a solo general practice to provide holistic medical care and starting a practice in nutritional medicine 30 years ago was a great challenge. It was treated with great scepticism by most of the medical profession at that time.”

Janet rates her marriage to Keith and having three wonderful daughters – Ann, Ruth and Linda – as real highlights. “Plus I am very grateful to the Christian Reformed Church for its support,” she said.

“But I must admit I had to learn the peculiarities of Australian country life living in a Dutch family.”

“Cobden was a wonderful place to spend my married life and bring up my children.  It has been friendly, welcoming and accepting of this strange Pom.

“The town has always had people ready to progress it. What Cobden has been able to achieve in the past years is quite remarkable. I hope the next generation steps up to take the lead and continue the good work.

“I had always thought it would be wonderful to work in a small community with its own hospital and be able to offer holistic care and, here I was, doing it in a way that would have been impossible in England.

Janet has been a great contributor – as a primary school councillor, a religious education teacher for twelve years, a member of the chamber of commerce (now Progressing Cobden), secretary of the Cobden Combined Churches Crib Committee, a Cobden District Health Services Board member for 20 years (four years as president) as well as overseeing the completion of Heytesbury Lodge from conception to fruition.

With other local churches, she also played the lead role in beginning the LinC Affliliate to provide support for those in need, and to convene the WEL (Women Enjoying Life) group which gave single women the opportunity to go out to entertainments and meals.

The Spring Festival: “I was talking with Alan Hart when the festival idea was born and I was involved with it for many years except when work commitments were too great. It was wonderful to see how the community embraced the idea and how the festival grew.”

Dr Janet retired to Melbourne to be close to her daughters and grandchildren. “Cobden will always be in my heart and I am sure I will have severe withdrawal symptoms.”