General Practitioners   of Australia

connecting GPs across this vast land
Aboriginal Healers

      The first doctors in Australia were the Aboriginal healers, the ngangkari. Training began in early childhood. The selected chiildren were those who showed early promise from within the ngangkari's own family. The children were taught to travel the sky in their spirit body with their father. Skills were learnt from parents, grandparents and uncles. Ngangkari would treat specific women’s, men’s and children’s health issues (including physical pains such as backaches, headaches, stomach aches), mental health issues, eye problems, tooth and mouth problems, colds, fever and flu. Some ngangkari would specialise in areas of healing: it was not uncommon for women ngangkari to specilaise in treating children.