Husband-wife surgical duo Max and Lilach Leibenson are committed to sticking around in Tamworth for the long term, but there were a few stopovers before landing in town.

From Beersheba in the Israeli desert treating war casualties to Sydney, then Bathurst and Mildura, the Leibensons have now found a home in Tamworth.

Lilach, a gynaecologist at Tamworth hospital, said it was an easy decision to stay.

“We were looking at a place where we both could work and we found a place that really needs both of us,” she said

“It feels good to be welcomed and needed.”

The trek started with Max, an orthopaedic surgeon, seeking a fellowship in joints, taking their family to Sydney.

“Israel is quite crowded with doctors and if you want to be an operating surgeon, most people will go and do a fellow outside of Israel, so we came here for Max’s fellow for hips and knees,” Lilach said.

While Max came to Australia in 2011 seeking a fellowship, he said the broad scope of work offered in regionally helped him build on his skills in public and private practice.

“It also allows you certain avenues for further professional development, since there is a broad demand, you need to build yourself in so many ways,” he said.

Exposure is key to building the rural medical workforce, according to Max and he sees things changing for the better in the recruitment stakes.

“Young doctors are not exposed to the rural settings, they’re not aware of how much more experience they could get whilst practising here,” he said.

“I believe this is going to change in the foreseeable future, just because the big cities are getting more and more crowded, young specialists don’t have enough jobs in those big centres, so they’re trying to find some opportunity in rural Australia.”

It has been difficult to find somewhere both of their specialties are needed.

However, in Tamworth they’ve joined a growing club of married surgeons.

“It’s not overly common, but interestingly in this hospital we are the third couple of gynaecologist and orthopod,” Lilach said.

“Even in Israel we had a few couples that were a female gynecologist and a male orthopod.”