When Dr Roberto Celada arrived in Australia nearly four decades ago, he had just $8 in his pocket, limited English and no certainty about what lay ahead.
Today, the Drouin-based doctor has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to medicine as a general practitioner for more than 30 years.
For Dr Roberto, the recognition came as a humbling surprise.
“I honestly thought the email was a scam at first,” he said.
“When I realised it was genuine, I felt very happy and honoured that someone had nominated me.”
Despite the national recognition, he is quick to credit others.
“I don’t feel I’m the only one who deserves this,” he said.
“There were so many people behind me — colleagues, nurses, patients and the community who supported me throughout my career. This award belongs to them too.”
Originally from Mexico, he completed his medical degree and worked as a family doctor. There, he met his future wife, an Australian working in Mexico City, and they married in 1984.
The following year, the devastating 1985 Mexico City earthquake shattered their lives. In its aftermath, the couple made the difficult decision to move to Australia, where Dr Roberto would have to restart his medical career from the beginning.
He arrived without English, without recognition of his qualifications, and with just $8 to his name.
Fortunately, he received support from his father-in-law and quickly found work as a cleaner at Box Hill Hospital.
He held the role for three years while preparing for the Australian Medical Council (AMC) examinations.
“I was lucky to pass AMC the first time,” Dr Roberto said. “The journey has been long, difficult, but it was worth it.”
In 1989, he qualified as a doctor in Australia and soon settled in Drouin, where he would dedicate his career to serving the local community.
He went on to work as a general practitioner at Drouin Medical Centre from 1992 to 2000, before becoming a partner and GP at Central Clinic in Warragul from 2000 to 2020. For three decades, he has also worked as a visiting practitioner in local aged-care facilities.
A Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners since 1994, Dr Roberto also became a respected educator, mentoring medical students from many universities and GP registrars completing their training.
While general practice formed the backbone of his work, it was palliative and aged care that became his deepest passion shaped by personal tragedy. In 1992, his father died from pancreatic cancer in Mexico, where access to pain relief was limited.
“He died in a lot of pain,” Dr Roberto recalled.
“When I came back to Australia, I decided that nobody should ever die in pain.
He undertook further training in palliative care and helped strengthen end-of-life services across his two clinics in Warragul and Drouin.
“I chose palliative care knowing it’s a difficult field,” he said.
“Not everyone enjoys it. As doctors, our aim is to cure, not to have people dying. But dying is part of life and my goal is to ensure it happens with comfort.”
Now 71, Dr Roberto’s legacy is continuing to serve, as he remains committed to aged and palliative care.
“I’m still healthy, and I still love what I do. I hope I can continue serving the community for another 10 years.”
Reflecting on his journey, he says Australia gave him opportunities he could never have imagined.
His advice to young doctors and migrants alike is simple: “Never give up. Work and study hard”.
Outside medicine, he has developed a deep connection to rural life, tending his garden and caring for his animals on his two-and-a-half-acre property.
Family remains central to his life. He has been married for more than 40 years and has raised a son who is now a successful lawyer.
