Our History
Dr Keith Harrison, the forerunner of Williamstown General Practitioners Group, was one of the original practitioners who provided medical services to the community of Williamstown. Having initially started practicing in the area in 1952, Dr Harrison decided to establish his own practice at the newly available professional rooms behind the Ritchies Pharmacy in February 1975. To obtain some assistance in running the practice, he invited the first interns of Williamstown Hospital, Dr Mary Burbridge, Dr Manu Gilani, and Dr Jeff Farrow to join him. Dr Gilani and Dr Farrow took over the management of the practice in 1992, at which time the practice was named the Williamstown General Practitioner’s Group. Dr Harrison and Dr Mary Burbidge continued to work with the practice until their respective retirements in 2004 and 2016. Dr Gilani left to pursue other interests in 2007 though remains a local part-time resident. The surgery was also privileged to have the talented Dr Vizec practising from 2011 to 2018. And Dr Farrow remains an integral part of the team. In 2020 Dr Maryam Hosseini and Dr Masoud Hakimzadeh joined the practice. The husband and wife duo have been Williamstown locals since 2014 and are delighted to be a part of such an iconic practice in the heart of Williamstown and its community.
*Image credit: unknown source.
An aerial view of Williamstown from the state Library, Victoria which was taken in 1925.
— image source, unknown.
This is an image showing what the practice looked like some 15 years ago, taken from Dr. Jeff’s mobile.
Dr Jeff Farrow
Dr Jeff Farrow graduated from Melbourne University with honours in 1977, and trained at the Austin and Heidelberg Repatriation Hospitals. In 1978 he was attached to the Williamstown Hospital as a Resident Medical Officer. In 1979, started working at the clinic of Dr Harrison where he has remained an essential part of the team ever since. He has served as a Visiting Medical Officer with the Williamstown Hospital. He holds Shared Obstetric Care appointments with the Royal Women’s Hospital, Western Hospital (Sunshine) and the Mercy Maternity Hospital (East Melbourne and Werribee), and he has a special interest in occupational medicine, notably in aviation medicine and it’s related fields. He is a designated Aviation Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth Aviation Safety Authority. His other interests include Public Health service, and he is an Immunisation Officer with the City of Hobson’s Bay, and also holds an appointment as a Local Medical Officer for the Department of Veteran Affairs. He is married with four children and lives locally in Altona. His personal interests include gliding, cycling and computing.