AFTER 28 years as a general practitioner in the country, Geoff Patience retired to "the quite life" as he calls it, in suburban Melbourne.

Also trained in obstetrics, anaesthetics and surgery, Geoff arrived "trained to the back teeth" in Benalla in 1971 where he was in a two-man practice.

The regional city then had a population of 8500.

When Geoff left in 1998, aged 55 and "a bit crotchety" after a lifetime of tending to late-night accident victims, births at all hours, weekend hospital rounds and the whole kitbag of expectations that come with being a country doctor, the town had 11,000 people and his practice had nine doctors.

He and his wife had raised three children, though much of the day-to-day family duties fell to her because invariably he'd get home when the kids were already fed, bathed and in bed.

Also, as was expected of general practitioners, he had taken his place on local boards and committees, advocating for his community.

He was on the local hospital board for 20 years and the water board for 19 years.

"Those roles came by virtue of being the local doctor rather than any specific training," Geoff recalls.

Time was when local GPs were accorded a certain status that earned their election or appointment as councillors, Justices of the Peace, service club presidents, water board members etc.

Expectation sat heavily on their shoulders, though some, such as the Cohuna's legendary Peter Graham, took on this mantle with extraordinary gusto.

But I wonder if whether the new bloods heading bush from city medical schools will take on the advocacy roles their predecessors did?

Ironically, some new bloods will be trained to assume those extra-curricular roles as board members and community leaders, thanks to a rural leadership program being promoted by the Australian Medical Students Association and the National Rural Health Students Network.

Just last week, 100 medical, nursing and allied health students from around Australia gathered in Wollongong to sharpen their skills for bush careers.

Co-chairman of the National Rural Health Students Network Shannon Nott, from Dunedoo near Dubbo, said the students would receive media training, training in policy development and teamwork skills.

"We are trying to skill health professionals to take on leadership positions in their communities," says Shannon who believes a new generation of young medicos with professional ideals and hopes of "making a difference" can be convinced to go bush in Oz just as readily as they might head to foreign third-world locations.

As from July 1, new incentives to go bush ($120,000 over two years for a city doctor to head to a very remote location) might help.

That's for relocation.

There are also General Practice Rural Incentives offered on a rising scale according to years of rural service on top of that ($4000 to $8000 in the first year).

Both are taxed at 46.5 per cent. (The incentives are listed at the DoctorConnect website.

The incentives are not huge.

Country medical services still swing on the notion that there are young doctors out there who have an idealistic zeal for providing community service in under-serviced areas, just as they did in Geoff Patience's days.

Any additional training we can give them to take up those posts should be encouraged.