James Fitzpatrick (Australia)

"This article is about the Australian paediatrician. For other persons named James Fitzpatrick, see James Fitzpatrick."

James Fitzpatrick is a medical doctor training in Paediatrics. He studied Medicine at the University of Western Australia and is notable for his advocacy of rural and Indigenous health issues. For his volunteer work concerning suicide and health of Australian youth, he received the 2001 Young Australian of the Year Award.

In no particular order James is a poet, paediatrician, pirate, and philosopher. His main passion is working with young people from rural and outback Australian communities. He expresses himself through poetry. He is training to be a Paediatrician, and currently works at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth. One of his dreams is to sail around the world in a wooden boat. His personal goal is to be content, to be true to himself, and to be true to others. The stepping-stones in James' life have included growing up in the Blue Mountains and Bathurst, NSW. A science degree at the University of New England, Armadale, followed by a year in the Australian army, prepared him for his medical degree in Perth. He was fortunate in 2001 to become the young Australian of the year for work promoting rural and Indigenous health. In that same year he traveled through outback Australia with Chris and Nigel, two army mates, on a national odyssey called True Blue Dreaming. They aimed to inspire and builld the capacity of young people in around 50 outback communities to participate in community development activities, and sowed the seeds for True Blue Dreaming, made into a reality through the commitment of TBD partner communities and countless hours of volunteer and staff effort.

True Blue Dreaming's vision is a network of motivated young people driving personal, social and environmental development in rural and remote communities; equality of opportunity between rural, remote and metropolitan Australia; and a greater understanding of and respect for Indigenous culture.

External links

* [http://www.sphcm.med.unsw.edu.au/medweb.nsf/page/shownewsstory?OpenDocument&LinkID=3400205E6C James Fitzpatrick - Rural Health Advocate and Young Australian of the Year]
* [http://www.truebluedreaming.org.au True Blue Dreaming]