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I was appointed Specialist Physician by the Northern Territory Department of Health, and commenced duties at Darwin Hospital in 1967. On arrival I found I was the sole Government Physician for the whole of the Territory, which covered one-sixth of the land mass of Australia (but with only one percent of the population at the time). The challenge was the vastness, the isolation, the climate, Indigenous Health, tropical disease in the Top End, lack of social and professional support, lack of equipment and medical staff. It was a difficult beginning. The RACP Centre in Sydney was 3000km away. It took several years for the College to offer linkage and support for remote rural areas like Darwin. It was considered the responsibility of the Department of Health. Having retired, I can now speak with frankness after 33 years in that portfolio. But over the years I have also seen the increasing interest, encouragement and support from the College, inviting NT members onto College Committees and Council and offering training and continuing education programmes. Allan Kerr Grant, RACP President in 1981, had the vision to link and support us and now most Presidents regularly visit the Northern Territory, for which we are grateful. We are no longer left out in the cold, I still hold dearly my Life Membership of the College, with grateful thanks.