Community-led innovation: How one rural town found more doctors Artwork

Ducks on the Pond

A podcast for rural women... by rural women. From succession planning, motherhood, starting a business, agriculture...running for politics, mental health and so much more, we cover the issues that matter to rural women. Hosted by Kirsten Diprose

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Ducks on the Pond

Community-led innovation: How one rural town found more doctors

July 09, 2026 • Kirsten Diprose • Season 8 • Episode 9

0:00 | 39:56

What happens when a rural community decides to stop waiting for someone else to solve its biggest problem?

For the people of Mudgee in central-west New South Wales, it meant creating their own solution to the growing shortage of GPs. The result is Doctors 4 Mudgee, a community-led initiative that set an ambitious goal of attracting 10 new doctors in three years.

Just 11 months in, they're already halfway there.

In this episode of Ducks on the Pond, Kirsten Diprose speaks with winemaker, business owner and Doctors 4 Mudgee Region Program Coordinator Kate Day. While Kate never imagined she'd be working in healthcare recruitment, she's helped build a program that's becoming a blueprint for regional Australia.

The conversation explores why welcoming doctors' families has been just as important as offering financial incentives, and how a simple idea—a "lifestyle concierge" service—has helped new GPs feel connected from day one.

Kate also shares the remarkable story behind her wine business, In Two Minds Wine, founded with her sister-in-law

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