Doctor’s legacy won’t be forgotten in Korumburra

Dr Dongsheng (Dong) Xu, 
7 December 1956 - 13 July 2023

POPULAR long-term Korumburra doctor and medical clinic partner Dongsheng (Dong) Xu was farewelled in East Kew, Melbourne, with wife Pek paying a moving tribute.

Born in China and growing up during the Cultural Revolution, Dong and his sisters were raised by their maternal grandmother when their parents were sent away.

Dong was eventually sent to the countryside as a labourer, but he was a talented student and proved adept at his medical studies when the opportunity arose after the Revolution, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Neurology.

After a few years working as a doctor in China, he found his way to New Zealand’s Dunedin with just a couple of hundred dollars in his pocket.

There he studied a PhD and despite the hard work required, he found time for socialising, leading to meeting Malaysian-born Pek.

“He swept me off my feet; we laughed, we joked, we clicked, and the rest is history,” Pek said of the whirlwind romance, with the couple married in under a year.

“We stuck together no matter what’s happening for the next 31 years,” she said, adding that marrying Dong was a gift.

After shifting to Australia, Dong worked in a Canberra hospital, then Mildura Hospital.

Daughter Rachel was born in 1996, living in Melbourne with Pek while Dong continued working in Mildura and making the arduous drive to visit.

Dong went on to work in Melbourne hospitals, the Austin and St Vincent’s.

However, he and Pek felt the country would be a great environment to raise children and jumped at the opportunity to move to Korumburra, arriving there in the late 1990s, with Dong working at the medical clinic.

He clearly made a favourable impression, becoming a partner in the business a year later.

One of the then clinic partners, Dr Phil Huguenin spoke at the funeral, saying it was an honour to deliver the eulogy for Dong.

Phil remarked on Dong’s tendency for quiet achieving and minimal ability to brag despite his impressive accomplishments.

He offered the example of having discovered Dong completed his PhD in just 18 months, something Dong had modestly never mentioned.

Phil said Dong’s committed work ethic combined with compassion made him popular with patients and colleagues alike and that he was always bustling about the clinic being productive.

“By working so thoroughly and quickly he was making me look bad,” Phil said, despite the high regard in which he is also viewed by the Korumburra community.

Dong and Pek’s son Adrian was born in Korumburra.

Despite Dong’s work and their parental responsibilities, the couple found time to indulge in their passion for gardening, which they enthusiastically pursued while living in Korumburra, growing a variety of exotic fruits and a selection of vegetables and tending nine garden beds.

While Dong wasn’t one to say too much, he was always social.

“A wise man doesn’t have to talk a lot, just a few words,” he said.

He was a man of diverse interests, with a love for watching Seinfeld but equally happy listening to classical music.

Dong played Chinese violin and flute and was a versatile athlete in his youth competing in decathlon and other events.

Son Adrian inherited Dong’s taste for music, being an accomplished pianist and cello player who sometimes also composes music, with Rachel following in her father’s footsteps studying medicine.

Korumburra community pays tribute to admired doctor Dong Xu

THE PASSING of much-loved former Korumburra doctor Dongsheng (Dong) Xu prompted an outpouring of tributes from community members.

Local identity Andrea ‘Pee-Wee’ Lewis expressed her sadness at the loss in a Facebook post, with many quick to reply.

Dong’s caring nature, sense of humour and commitment to his work were mentioned in the comments, with the immense respect for him and his family evident.

Sarina Ward posted that she loved working with Dong, also offering praise for his treatment of her parents.

“Your kindness to mum and dad will never be forgotten,” she said.

Elisabeth Fleming touched on Dong’s outdoor passions.

“I so enjoyed our chats about his fruit trees and veggie garden he tended at Korumburra,” she said, also noting Dong was a wonderful doctor with so much energy.