James Wright (doctor)

John Franklin Knight AM (born 12 December 1927),[1] known by the pseudonym James Wright, is an Australian media personality, author, philanthropist and general practitioner (GP). He is also known as 'The Merry Medic'.[1]

(Dr.) James Wright (AM)
Born
John Franklin Knight

(1927-12-12) December 12, 1927
Occupation
  • media personality
  • author
  • GP

Early life

Knight was born on 12 December 1927 in Brisbane, Australia. When he was 6 months old his family moved to Sydney. He was raised on Fox Valley Road in Wahroonga, a northern Sydney suburb. His father was a clergyman. He had a "very strict, very strict, disciplinarian upbringing. We used to get a hiding pretty regularly". His family were vegetarians. His mother lived to 100, and his father to 90 years of age.[1] He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School. [2]

Private life

Knight is still a vegetarian, does not smoke or drink alcohol and exercises daily. In 1955 Knight married Noreen Westlake.[1] He graduated from Sydney University.[3]

Knight made a fortune in the millions of dollars through property investments, mainly on the Queensland Gold Coast.[1] In the early 2000s Wright was swindled out of A$57 million by a friend, New Zealander Derek Turner.[4][5] "Turner had been his neighbour for 10 to 15 years and was a trusted acquaintance, Dr Knight said"[6] He also owned a motel and a funeral director's company for forty years, also a printing company.[1]

Knight has had surgery for throat cancer and in February 2017 had surgery for bowel cancer.[7]

Medical career

Knight first practised medicine as a GP in Tottenham, a small town in the Central West, very close to the geographic centre of New South Wales.[8] While there he was also the local correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). His stories were sent to the ABC by morse code.[1]

Media career

He was the 'resident doctor' on The Midday Show, starting when it was The Mike Walsh Show, a period of twenty-five years. He also ran his own radio show for almost twenty years.[3]

Medi Aid Centre Foundation

In 1971 Knight and his wife established the charity 'Medi-Aid'. It grew from an idea in Knight's teenage years to a national foundation that provides aged care accommodation for more than 700 elderly people.[9] The foundation has several villages in Sydney, and one on the Gold Coast in Queensland.[1] Its prime aim is to provide housing for the older community across all socio-economic levels.

Awards

In 1998 Knight was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his media outreach and the work of the Foundation.[10] In 2003, he was one of the three finalists in the "Australian of the Year" Awards.[3] Knight was awarded as the 2017 New South Wales Senior Australian of the Year.[11]

Bibliography

  • Dr Wright's family medical guide. James Wright Sydney: Golden Press, 1985. 566 p ISBN 0855581972
  • Family medical care : a five-volume illustrated series covering all aspects of health care. James Wright, Signs, 2007. ISBN 9781876010966 (set)
    • "Parenting". ISBN 9781876010911 (v. 1)
    • "Parenting". ISBN 9781876010928 (v. 2)
    • "Major systems of the body and emergencies". ISBN 9781876010935 (v. 3)
    • "Marvels of the human frame".ISBN 9781876010942 (v. 4)
    • "Special organs and the skeletal structure". ISBN 9781876010959 (v. 5)
  • Understanding tummy troubles : the recognition and treatment of peptic ulcers, and other common disorders of the stomach and intestinal system. James Wright, Golden Press, 1984. 72 p. : ill ISBN 0730200132
  • So you're a teenager : vital facts for girls. James Wright, Signs Publishing Co., 2003, 192 p. : ill. ISBN 1876010665
  • So you're a teenager : vital facts for boys. James Wright, Signs Publishing Co., 2001, 192 p. : col. ill. ISBN 1876010266, ISBN 1876010363
  • Dr. Wright's fabulous fitness book. James Wright, Horwitz Grahame, c1987. 173 p. ISBN 0725520116
  • Alternative medicine James Wright, Golden Press, 1982. 280 p. : ill ; ISBN 0855583789
  • Women's problems. James Wright, Golden Press, 1981. 175 p. : ill. ISBN 0855587776
  • Baby & childhood illnesses. James Wright, Golden Press, 1981. 278 p. : ill. ISBN 0855587938
  • A medical guide to good health.James Wright, Medi-Aid Centre Foundation, 1978. 303 p. ISBN 0959528008
  • Successful slimming, incorporating "The great Australian diet' Golden Press, 1981. 215 p. ISBN 0855587857

References

  1. Thompson, Peter (12 September 2005). "Dr James Wright". Talking Heads. ABC (Australia). Archived from the original (transcript) on 8 January 2014.
  2. NSBHS Leaving Certificate 1945
  3. "About Dr James Wright". docwright.com.au. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  4. "Celebrity doctor ripped off by scamster". The Age. Australian Associated Press. 18 February 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  5. "Celebrity doctor battle". A Current Affair. Nine MSN. 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  6. "Merry medic down $50m but looking up". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 February 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  7. Deare, Steven (10 February 2017). "Dr James Wright, or Dr John Knight, recovering from surgery". Northern District Times. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  8. "Centre of Australia, States and Territories-NSW". Geoscience Australia. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  9. Kennard, Robert (15 June 2011). "John Knight celebrates Dr James Wright's legacy". Northern-District Times. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  10. It's an Honour. Retrieved 3 July 2017
  11. "2017 NSW AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED". australianoftheyear.org.au. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
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