I originally came from Serbia, landed up in Melbourne, but because of the moratorium on foreign doctors, I had to practise somewhere rural. Having always lived in large cities, I was horrified. Albury sounded a bit less rural than most of the other options, so that’s how I ended up here. Then I decided I wanted my own practice. This is the first year I’ve had it, and I’m really happy. I’m also a keen translator. I’ve worked as a translator and an interpreter. My major languages, in addition to Serbian and English, are French and Italian. But I also know Greek, Spanish and Latin. I sing in many different languages as well. I trained as a pianist but have worked professionally as a singer, although now I have limited time for singing. And in Albury there are limited opportunities, because most of my work in music is classical. It’s Australian pop and rock that’s played in the bars here. I’m first and foremost a classical musician, but also do some Latin American, Argentinian tango, Cuban salsa, flamenco, and a lot of gypsy music. It’s hard to slot any of that in here.

Dr Ivana Milanovic
Albury, NSW