Francis Joseph (Frank) Mc Coy was born in North Melbourne, one of five children of James Edward and Catherine Mc Coy (nee Phelan). During his university years his colleagues called him Tim, in reference to an actor performing in western movies at the same time. This nickname remained all his life.

Frank’s siblings were Mary Cecilia ( Molly ), Desmond , James who also became a doctor specializing as a general surgeon, and Joseph. Frank’s mother died when he was eight years of age and his youngest brother, Joseph, died shortly afterwards. The care of the four remaining children then fell to his aunts, until his father remarried some time later.

His secondary schooling was with the Christian Brothers at St Kilda and St Kevin’s. He began medicine at the University of Melbourne in 1930 at the age of seventeen. He graduated in 1936 with first class honours in surgery. He played Australian Rules football on the wing for university blues.

Frank was a resident medical officer (RMO) at St Vincent’s Hospital from 1937 to 1938, then registrar from 1938 to 1939. Following a rotation working in the western district of Victoria, he was appointed Medical Superintendent of St Vincent’s from 1940 to 1942. His brother, James, was appointed as RMO at St Vincent’s in 1940 and he held the position of Medical Superintendent in 1946.

In May 1943 Frank entered the RAAF serving as a Senior Medical Officer and Squadron Leader in Papua New Guinea. At the end of the war he continued as Senior Medical Officer with the RAAF based in St Kilda Road, Melbourne, until his resignation in 1946.

He married Olive Williams in 1945 and they had four children. He was awarded Doctor of Medicine in 1947. He undertook further post graduate training and became a Member of the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 1948 and Fellow in 1975.

After their first two children were born, the family moved to Riversdale Road, Camberwell, where Frank established a general practice at their residential address. Frank’s move into general practice meant that he had to relinquish his honorary position at St Vincent’s in 1947.

Without the facility of a mobile phone, strategies were developed if an emergency call was received whilst Frank was doing his home visits. Olive would try contacting him by phoning those on the house call list. Another strategy was to turn on the practice’s red light. If Frank was travelling down Riversdale Road between visits, he knew in this way that he needed to call in to home.

For the next 10 years, Frank’s sole practice grew to the point that it was evident that a partnership was required. At that time Dr Frank Ahern was keen to move his young family from Tocumal NSW to Melbourne. A partnership with Dr Ahern was subsequently created and a joint practice established as the Camberwell Clinic. The partnership lasted 34 years.

Frank’s war experience gave him a greater understanding of the need for vocational training for those incapacitated by war or as the result of accident or disease. He was invited to become a physician to the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service (CRS) working one session a week. His involvement with the CRS lasted for more than 30 years.

The McCoy family motto, ‘non sibi vivens’ (not living for oneself), captured well the generosity of Frank’s life. Despite his medical qualifications and expertise he preferred, against the general trend and suggestions of medical colleagues and mentors, to make himself fully available to the people of the suburbs. He was well known in the homes, private hospitals and nursing homes of the eastern suburbs for his availability, unassuming gentle manner and professional expertise.

His continuing education was maintained by attending the American College of Physicians annual post graduate training conferences in Hawaii. He appreciated these conferences enormously, as keeping abreast with changes in medical management to offer state of the art medical practice was of paramount importance to him.

He retired at the end of 1994 at the age of 82 after forty eight years in general practice in Camberwell. He was granted Life Membership of the Medical Defence Association of Victoria in 1995.

His influence on the careers of his children was by example and in his belief that not only sons, but daughters too, required a career. Anne, a physiotherapist and Julia, a nurse, have both worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital for many years. Brian, a Jesuit priest, has worked with Aboriginal people and undertaken a PhD in the area of indigenous men’s health and well being. Marea’s career has involved specialist training in primary education, teaching children with specific needs such as those with hearing impairments and physical disabilities.