Dr Andrew Beattie graduated from medical school in Sydney in 1978 and went on to work with the Aboriginal community in Central Australia in the early 1980s. He was instrumental in establishing the Kalano Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service in the town of Katherine. He later moved to Newcastle, and then (in 1986) to Coffs Harbour where he established himself as a respected General Practitioner. He was instrumental in the creation of the Early Detection of Melanoma Project on the Mid North Coast of NSW, and had a particular interest in the treatment of breast-cancer and Asthma. He also involved himself in various community activities, primary among which was the establishment of a Bicycle Users Group (BUG) and the construction of a bicycle network of tracks through the suburbs of Coffs Harbour. He retired in 2012.