Dear Doc, this town just loves ya!

By Tania Martin
William “Doc” Hardy is a living treasure, officially. The GP, known simply as Doc Hardy, has been anointed the first Mt Evelyn living treasure.
At 83 he is known around the hills for more than just delivering babies: He has been a mover and shaker in helping to form some of Mt Evelyn’s most memorable campaigns.
With his beloved wife Gwen, who died in 2001, he formed the Mt Evelyn Environment Protection Association, now known as MEEPPA, in the late 1960s when the council threatened to bulldoze his surgery.
He said an engineer from the Shire of Lillydale told him the council wanted to widen Hereford Road to build a four-lane road.
And that meant flattening Doc’s surgery, part of his house and 20 other homes.
“We weren’t going to take that … we all fronted up to Lilydale Shire Office to object,” Doc said.
Thirty-two residents fronted up to have their say but before they could an intimidated council dumped the plans.
After that many suggested Doc join the council to stop the issue being raised again.
But there was no way he had time for council.
“I was too busy delivering babies and tending sick people,” he said.
“I had patients dropping in at 2am asking for help and I would get out of bed and do what I had to do … doctors don’t do that these days.”
So Doc decided to put his unsuspecting wife up for the job and she became the first female Shire of Lillydale councillor.
She even became “Madame President”, which Doc still finds amusing today.
Despite all his talk about delivering babies and helping the sick, Doc had no aspirations to become a doctor until he was discharged from the air force.
His life’s passion was to be a pilot. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force at just 18 but wasn’t happy with his appointment.
“I didn’t want to be a flying instructor – it’s the pits. I wanted to go away and fight,” Doc said.
“I wasn’t considered officer-type material … I talked too much and it often got me into trouble.”
But Doc eventually got his wish and was deployed to New Guinea but, in a cruel twist, he arrived a week after World War II finished.
“I arrived TBL (too bloody late),” he recalls.
After being discharged from the RAAF, Doc completed medical training in Mildura before moving to Mt Evelyn in 1955 to become the town’s doctor.
He has been there ever since and has become a much-loved character in the town.
Doc was recognised as the first living treasure at a MEEPPA meeting on 6 October and was also named a life member of the group.
MEEPPA president Frac Smith said the living treasure award was created as a chance to celebrate life.
“We have lost so many community people this year … all we do is celebrate people after they die,” he said.
Doc Hardy said it was a great surprise and honour to be crowned a living treasure.