Community & Business
20 January, 2026
40 years as a doctor (and counting!)
A slice of cake was just what the doctor ordered on Tuesday, as family and colleagues of Dr. Katherine McEniery gathered at Beauaraba Living to celebrate her impressive 40 year career in medicine.
Dr. Kate is a familiar face around these parts, having lived in Pittsworth for nearly 30 years.
In 1985, she completed her medicine degree at the University of Queensland, and began as an intern on 6th January the following year, at the Mater Hospital Brisbane.
She can vividly recall her first day on the job.
“I can remember that day so clearly, there were about 20 interns at the Mater.
“We got told by Dr Peter Lavercombe, Director of the ICU, that this was a very serious job, that we weren’t students anymore, and we had to take the job seriously.
“They didn’t expect us to know everything, but they expected us to do our very best... ” she said.
Dr. Kate fondly remembered her first charge nurse, and even recalls the very first patient she saw who was critically ill, and the impact that had on her.
Over the years she worked in pediatrics in England at the world-renowned, Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, did a stint in obstetrics at Nambour, and considered going into anaesthetics while working as an Emergency Registrar at Concord Hospital in Sydney.
It wasn’t until 1997 that she finally put down some roots.
Her husband, retired veterinarian Dr. Stephen Fogarty, took over the vet practice in town, which prompted their move to Pittsworth.
Together the couple had two sons, and Dr. Kate worked part time for Jim and Pam Ingram who owned the local medical centre.
Despite saying she never thought she would become a country doctor, it didn’t take long for her to enjoy the benefits of flexibility that come with working and living in a small town like ours.
“Working in a country town was so fantastic, because I could come to work in the morning, and then if I had to go down to see something at the school, I could zip down there, cancel out patients for an hour or two, and then come back and work the afternoons,” Dr. Kate said.
She began at the Beauaraba Medical Centre in Weale Street (formerly Platinum Health) ten years ago, and works closely with the staff and residents of Beauaraba Living, the aged care facility next door.
“Beauaraba Living is very appreciative of Dr Kate’s dedication to the residents of Beauaraba Living and the wider Pittsworth community,” CEO Bradley Jones said.
“On behalf of the residents, families, staff, volunteers and community, we take this opportunity to congratulate and thank her for 40 years of medical professionalism, dedication, care, kindness and compassion.”
While 40 years in the industry is certainly a milestone, for Dr. Kate it’s still business as usual for now.
Although she admitted retirement would be nice, Dr. Kate said more doctors are needed in town for this to be considered.
She spoke highly of the team at the Beauaraba Medical Centre, Beauaraba Living and the ambulance staff she regularly works with at the practice.
Dr. Kate shared memories from her early years working as a GP in Pittsworth.
She recalled coming to Beauaraba Living (back when it was the hospital) while on call for the Ingrams, and having to bring her young son with her.
The nurses would watch over him while she visited patients.
Mr Jones said Beauaraba has always placed strong value on a family-focused workplace culture, a commitment that continues to this day.
Another story spoke to her deep commitment to those at Beauaraba, recalling how she would regularly rise early to take a resident in his 90s to the pool to swim laps.
In recognition of her 40 years in medicine, Dr. Kate was gifted a framed photograph of Beauaraba Living under a starry night sky, taken by a local photographer.
