Kane Vellar

“The free iced coffee supply that followed from the picture was an example of our entrepreneurial skills!” he proudly recalls.

Kane was the first indigenous medicine graduate to complete his degree in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory Medical Program (NTMP) provides training to Flinders University and James Cook University medical students. It also coordinates placement opportunities and support for allied health students and interstate medical students.

“My top priority on graduating was to head out bush to help where it’s needed most,” Kane says. “Being an indigenous graduate here in the NT is very special," he said.

“It’s where we get to practise to best help our people in remote areas. Also in Darwin up to 50 per cent of our patients are Indigenous. Having an awareness of being able to communicate properly with patients is crucial, as is having that awareness to know when people don't understand when they're being spoken to by clinicians.”

Kane has fond memories of his time at Flinders.

“I am proud to be part of the alumni of Flinders University – a University that had the imagination and conviction to establish a medical program in the NT and deliver success!  

Flinders graduates are known to be ‘outside of the box’ thinkers and I think this is a great quality of the people that it attracts to their medical program,” Kane said.

“On my journey through Medicine at Flinders, I found that their NT Medical Program afforded opportunities that are not otherwise available to students.  

“Let’s face it – who gets to travel to by small aircraft to their placements of a day to work in a remote Indigenous setting? Establishing a Medical Program in the NT was daring and adventurous and to be in the first graduates from this program wholly trained in the NT is an honour.”  

Kane says studying medicine at Flinders was life-changing.

“It is such a diverse and fascinating field where the possibilities are endless as a career pathway! The idea that you are on the frontline and trying to affect health outcomes in some positive way, shape or form drives my passion.”  

Now employed as Psychiatric Registrar, Top End Mental Health, Northern Territory Government, Kane has maintained his connections with Flinders medical alumni.

“Having graduated from the NT Medical Program with a small number of colleagues there will always be a special connection with fellow alumni, as we all achieved a first for Flinders  (in a program that was fledging and still required some areas of improvement) - and our medical training together.”

Asked what he would say to a prospective student who is considering study at Flinders University, Kane said: Be bold and achieve your dream!  Studying medicine at Flinders will change your life…for the best!”

And his advice to current students: “Over and over as a student, our group was told ‘you’ll be fine’ in regards to stresses related to upcoming exams.  I would certainly like to give that advice to students – ‘you’ll be fine.’  The main advice is to make sure you enjoy what you are doing and take your time to figure out which area of medicine you would like to specialise in.”