Melbourne doctor Andrew Varigos celebrated his 100th birthday last Thursday, five years after retiring from a career that spanned almost 80 years – making the Ithacan-heritage practitioner one of the true pioneers of Greek Australian medical practice.
One of seven children, Andrew was born in South Melbourne on 5 March 1915 shortly after his family arrived from Greece. In the 1940s, after excelling in pharmacy studies at university, he opened three pharmacies under the name of Andrew’s Drug Store in central Melbourne.
In the 1950s he enrolled to study medicine at the University of Melbourne and eventually became a GP, setting up his practice on Victoria Parade, where he worked until the age of 95 – making him probably the oldest registered practicing doctor in the world.
See Michael Sweet’s full interview with Dr Varigos in tomorrow’s English edition.
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