Australia’s ‘Merry Medic’, Dr James Wright, passes away at 94
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Aussie TV and radio icon Dr James Wright passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, November 27.
He was 94 years old and only a few weeks shy of his 95th birthday.
Wright leaves behind four children, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. His wife Noreen passed away in her sleep back in 2012.
His long and storied career in medicine began in 1953 when he graduated from the University of Sydney and moved to a rural NSW town to serve as a GP.
Later on, he wrote health columns in publications such as Women’s Weekly, Dolly, The Sunday Telegraph, and The Melbourne Herald Sun.
Dr James Wright, known in real life as Dr John Knight, took on his screen name as it was not allowed for medical consultants in the media to use their real names at the time.
Wright and his wife Noreen also established the Medi-Aid Foundation in 1971, which assists economically disadvantaged seniors.
In 1972, he made his television debut on The Mike Walsh Show where he eventually became a regular. He stayed with the popular lunchtime program during its transfer in 1985 to another channel, where it became known as The Midday Show.
After television, he pivoted into radio broadcasting with 2GB and later, 2UE on The Good Health Show, where he presented two-hour weekly programs covering medical topics and answering thousands of questions from avid listeners.
He made his last broadcast in 2005, ending an 18-year stint with 2UE.
Until his mid-80s, Wright worked as a GP in his Sydney family practice.
In 1998, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Australia and was nominated for NSW’s Senior Australian of the Year in 2017.
Amid many accomplishments, Wright is noted for his work making medicine more familiar to Australians with his knack for patiently answering questions and tirelessly taking the time to explain complicated medical concepts to a keen audience.
He also worked towards destigmatising diseases like HIV-AIDS (at the height of the epidemic in the 1980s, in particular) and Hepatitis C by bringing awareness and debunking the many myths that sprung up with the illnesses.
Wright, who put himself through his studies with writing, also authored 30 books in his lifetime — the last of which was an autobiography released when he was 89 years old in 2016.
Perhaps a sobering reminder that even amazing figures such as Wright are human too, at the end of the day, he also had bouts with throat cancer in 2012 and bowel cancer in 2017.
With his passing, many offered their condolences and expressed their sadness.
'I used to love how he'd say to people when they'd call in on the program "What's your problem?", so no medical mumbo jumbo,' said 2GB radio host Ben Fordham, who counts himself ‘lucky enough’ to experience working with Wright previously at 2UE.
'People would call in and tell him what was happening. They would often raise things with Dr James Wright that they were too shy to raise with their own doctor.’
‘He would answer everyone's questions. He was eccentric, he was intelligent, he was a joy to be around… But away from the microphone and the TV studio, he did incredible things to help people.'
Another former coworker at 2UE said: ‘He was a delight to work with at 2UE a number of years ago… the “Happy Open Line”. RIP Doc.’
Other fans joined in on social media.
‘He always injected plenty of knowledge but with a no-nonsense human touch to his analysis. Refreshing and someone you could identify as being the sort of Dr you wish you had,’ a user wrote.
A second one added: ‘He was an incredible man & will be greatly missed. He helped get older people into homes (with his foundation), I’d heard. Didn’t pat himself on the back, just quietly got into it.’
This is truly a great loss for Australia. Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this difficult time.
How will you remember the ‘Merry Medic’? Share your thoughts below.
Source: YouTube/Adrian Zorec
He was 94 years old and only a few weeks shy of his 95th birthday.
Wright leaves behind four children, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. His wife Noreen passed away in her sleep back in 2012.
His long and storied career in medicine began in 1953 when he graduated from the University of Sydney and moved to a rural NSW town to serve as a GP.
Later on, he wrote health columns in publications such as Women’s Weekly, Dolly, The Sunday Telegraph, and The Melbourne Herald Sun.
Dr James Wright, known in real life as Dr John Knight, took on his screen name as it was not allowed for medical consultants in the media to use their real names at the time.
Wright and his wife Noreen also established the Medi-Aid Foundation in 1971, which assists economically disadvantaged seniors.
In 1972, he made his television debut on The Mike Walsh Show where he eventually became a regular. He stayed with the popular lunchtime program during its transfer in 1985 to another channel, where it became known as The Midday Show.
Dr John Knight was known on The Midday Show as ‘Merry Medic’, Dr James Wright. Credit: YouTube/Adrian Zorec
After television, he pivoted into radio broadcasting with 2GB and later, 2UE on The Good Health Show, where he presented two-hour weekly programs covering medical topics and answering thousands of questions from avid listeners.
He made his last broadcast in 2005, ending an 18-year stint with 2UE.
Until his mid-80s, Wright worked as a GP in his Sydney family practice.
In 1998, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Australia and was nominated for NSW’s Senior Australian of the Year in 2017.
Amid many accomplishments, Wright is noted for his work making medicine more familiar to Australians with his knack for patiently answering questions and tirelessly taking the time to explain complicated medical concepts to a keen audience.
He also worked towards destigmatising diseases like HIV-AIDS (at the height of the epidemic in the 1980s, in particular) and Hepatitis C by bringing awareness and debunking the many myths that sprung up with the illnesses.
Wright, who put himself through his studies with writing, also authored 30 books in his lifetime — the last of which was an autobiography released when he was 89 years old in 2016.
Perhaps a sobering reminder that even amazing figures such as Wright are human too, at the end of the day, he also had bouts with throat cancer in 2012 and bowel cancer in 2017.
With his passing, many offered their condolences and expressed their sadness.
'I used to love how he'd say to people when they'd call in on the program "What's your problem?", so no medical mumbo jumbo,' said 2GB radio host Ben Fordham, who counts himself ‘lucky enough’ to experience working with Wright previously at 2UE.
Dr Wright’s last radio episode aired in July 2005. Credit: YouTube/Adrian Zorec
'People would call in and tell him what was happening. They would often raise things with Dr James Wright that they were too shy to raise with their own doctor.’
‘He would answer everyone's questions. He was eccentric, he was intelligent, he was a joy to be around… But away from the microphone and the TV studio, he did incredible things to help people.'
Another former coworker at 2UE said: ‘He was a delight to work with at 2UE a number of years ago… the “Happy Open Line”. RIP Doc.’
Other fans joined in on social media.
A second one added: ‘He was an incredible man & will be greatly missed. He helped get older people into homes (with his foundation), I’d heard. Didn’t pat himself on the back, just quietly got into it.’
This is truly a great loss for Australia. Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this difficult time.
How will you remember the ‘Merry Medic’? Share your thoughts below.
Source: YouTube/Adrian Zorec
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