Wagga geriatrician Paul Finucane retires after years of service

Geriatrician Paul Finucane has made a significant contribution to older patients in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District since arriving in the region in 2016.

He and his wife Aileen will say goodbye to Wagga tomorrow, possibly for the last time, as they return to their native Ireland.

Professor Finucane said it had been a privilege to "get things up and running" in the region, where he is credited with helping to establish many specialised aged care health services.

"I think it's fair to say that when I came here, aged care services were not as well developed as people wanted, both in terms of the hospitals, and also in the community," he said.

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"I wouldn't for a moment suggest that it's perfect or is where it needs to be. But I think at least now there's a structure and a plan."

Professor Finucane trained in Ireland in the 1970s and said he was fortunate as a young doctor to have role models to follow into the field of geriatric medicine.

He and his wife moved to Australia for the first time in 1991 when Professor Finucane took up a position as a medical educator at the University of Newcastle.

Back in Ireland, Professor Finucane said he had the great pleasure of setting up the first new Irish medical school in more than 100 years.

"That kept me busy for 15 years in Ireland. But we always had an ambition to come back and spend more time in Australia," he said.

The Finucanes agreed on their affection for Australia, with Professor Finucane saying one of the highlights of their time here had been receiving dual citizenships.

But Mrs Finucane said the time had come to return to their spiritual home, where they plan to move to a fishing village in West Cork.

MLHD aged care clinical nurse consultant Linda Hathaway said Professor Finucane would be "desperately missed" across the region.

"He was always so available. And apart from [travelling] he was doing regular rounds at the hospital and being on call," she said.

"He's highly regarded and respected in Wagga. It was absolutely wonderful. We all had the highest regard for him. It's hard to really say what he's done because there's been so much."

The Finucanes are also passionate visual art collectors and have donated some paintings and photography to Wagga Base Hospital.

"I'd just like emphasise the gratitude, that I think we both feel, about the wonderful opportunities that we've had through living in Australia," Professor Finucane said.

"I mean, people talk about Australia being the lucky country and, really, it is"