James Wright (doctor)

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

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]

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.[2]

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.[3][4] "Turner had been his neighbour for 10 to 15 years and was a trusted acquaintance, Dr Knight said"[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[2]

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.[8] 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 Dr Knight was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his media outreach and the work of the Foundation.[9] In 2003, he was one of the three finalists in the "Australian of the Year" Awards.[2] Knight was awarded as the 2017 New South Wales Senior Australian of the Year.[10]

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