Journalists wanting to speak to an ACRRM spokesperson are invited to contact Petrina Smith on 0414 820 847 or email.

Rural Generalist (RG) Dr Jeff Robinson is the recipient of the prestigious Peter Graham ‘Cohuna’ Award 2020 for his commitment to protecting the health and safety of his local community in Mt Beauty, Victoria.

The Peter Graham ‘Cohuna’ Award, awarded jointly by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), recognises rural doctors who provide outstanding advocacy and medical service to their community. It is presented annually in memory of the late Dr Peter Graham, who served the Cohuna community for 48 years. 

Dr Robinson, a Fellow of ACRRM and member of the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria, has worked as a rural GP in Mt Beauty for more than 20 years and is highly regarded for his emergency care skills and his commitment to providing professional development in emergency care to doctors and practice staff in the region.

RDAA President Dr John Hall says Dr Robinson joins a long list of recipients who are leaders in their profession and leaders in their community.

“This award recognises doctors who go above and beyond to provide high quality health care, by advocating for the health care needs of their patients, supporting their medical profession colleagues and dedicating time outside their profession to be active community members.

“It speaks volumes of Dr Robinson’s commitment to the profession of Rural Medicine and his community that this is the second national award he has received from RDAA or ACRRM, the first being the RDAA Rural Doctor of the Year Award in 2015.”

ACRRM President Dr Sarah Chalmers says Dr Robinson is a worthy recipient of the award, demonstrating service to the people of Mt Beauty that extends further than his skills as a high-quality rural doctor.

“As an experienced rural GP, he is heavily involved in providing education and training to local doctors and healthcare teams and he sits on a number of boards that focus on emergency care, training and education, including the Albury Base Hospital Emergency Department, the Emergency Care Clinical Network, Safer Care Victoria, and more,” Dr Chalmers says.

“On top of all this, Dr Robinson is an active volunteer firefighter, Lieutenant and training officer with the Gundowring Rural Fire Brigade.

“During recent fires that ravaged the region, Dr Robinson was at the fire frontline, battling the flames alongside fellow fire fighters during the night before gathering a few hours rest in the morning, and working in the Mt Beauty Medical Centre in the afternoon.

“He helped evacuate the local hospital and nursing home while continuing to provide ongoing medical services to the community during this difficult time.

“There are accounts of Dr Robinson putting his own safety at risk to protect not only the local area but also neighbouring communities,” Dr Chalmers adds.

The Peter Graham ‘Cohuna’ Award has been presented by ACRRM and RDAA since 2008.