The 73-year-old Vietnam veteran from Wagga needed the prosthesis after undergoing a transfemoral - or above-knee - amputation on his right leg in September 2019.

Mr Beale required the amputation after battling complications that began to arise after he underwent knee replacement five years ago.

"I've had at least 18 surgeries in that time," he said.

Since September, Mr Beale has relied on crutches and a wheelchair for mobility, but says this was starting to have an adverse impact on his left knee.

Despite some initial nerves, Mr Beale is keen to get used to his new prosthesis, and he has had the chance to get the best of medical advice about it.

What makes Mr Beale's prosthetic leg special is that it has a microprocessor knee, which improves stability and safety.

Wagga rehabilitation specialist Rachael McQueen said there had been significant improvements in both prosthetic devices themselves and in the availability of them to more patients.

Dr McQueen said it had been "quite a moment" watching Mr Beale use his new prosthetic leg for the first time.

Mr Beale was one of two patients who had undergone transfemoral amputations who were being given advice on using their new prosthetics - which feature new microprocessor-controlled knees - by experts in the field who were visiting Wagga.

Cathy Howells, an amputee physiotherapist and paralympic physiotherapist and Rob Hodgson, a prosthetist, with Ossur Prosthetics, were in Wagga to work with the city's physiotherapists and physiotherapy students.

Ms Howells said the National Disability Insurance Scheme had helped "level the playing field" and allowed a lot more people to access the latest technology.

"Back in the day, it was often only clients who were covered by insurance - say people who had been in a car accident - who could use that technology," she said.

Ms Howells said she had been working exclusively with amputees for 32 years.

"Technology has really improved a lot. Interfaces - the part that joins on to you - is a lot more skin friendly, a lot more comfortable, The leg suspends a lot better and feels much more a part of the amputee, rather than just sort of hanging off the end," she said.

"Now, of course the technology of knees and feet has also improved.

"It gives them their life back. With the microprocessor knees, I find a lot of amputees say to me 'I don't have to think about every single step I take, which is very powerful."