Dedication to helping others earns Australia Day honour for Bacchus Marsh GP

POPULAR Bacchus Marsh doctor Ravin Sadhai has had years of community work recognised by his inclusion in the 2026 Australia Day honours list.

Dr Sadhai, a GP at the Bacchus Marsh Medical Centre, has received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division (OAM) for his services to medicine and the wider Bacchus Marsh community.

He is among 472 people around Australia to receive the honour and will attend a ceremony at Government House in Melbourne to be presented with it later in the year.

Apart from his regular clinic work, Dr Sadhai founded the men’s health program The Pub Clinic in 2008 and has acted as its master of ceremonies since then.

He launched its female equivalent, The Ladies Lounge, in 2023, and also acts as its MC.

He has been a GP since 2000 and has worked at the Bacchus Marsh Medical Centre since 2005.

“It’s very humbling,” Dr Sadhai said of his recognition.

The Pub Clinic is a men’s health outreach program that has been based at The Plough hotel in Myrniong for many years and offers a beer, snacks, a chat and health checks for men.

The sessions feature guest speakers on various topics and at their base aim to tackle potential health issues before they become serious – last year’s featured a neurosurgeon, a cardiologist, a physiotherapist and a personal trainer.

“It’s two or three topics done in a discussion manner rather than a sit-down formal thing,” Dr Sadhai said, adding that a paramedic had also attended to teach CPR on a mannequin in the past.

He said the clinics were basically free thanks to the support of the Community Bank Bacchus Marsh, Shane Cook Homes and the Rotary Club of Bacchus Marsh, among others. Participants can make donations to charities during the sessions.

Dr Sadhai said his interest in community involvement – he also performs other health-related functions in the local area – came from his late father, Jay, who was himself a GP in Bacchus Marsh for 30 years.

“When I first started I found that there was a few wives came in who had lost their husbands to heart attacks…in their late 40s and 50s,” he said.

“I thought ‘Why aren’t these blokes coming in to get check-ups?’, so I thought I’d take the clinic to the patient rather than the patient coming to the clinic.

“And I thought the pub was a good place to go.”

The female version is a little more formal but follows basically the same format.

“It’s been very humbling to accept something like this,” Dr Sadhai said. “It’s probably the culmination of a lot of work and inspiration from people like my father and…my wife.

“It’s not just me; I have these crazy ideas and I’m well supported by my wife Cathy and my family.

“It’s probably an award for a few people, not just myself.”

The Pub Clinic has a website at thepubclinic.com.au and a Facebook page called simply The Pub Clinic. The Ladies Lounge also has an eponymous Facebook page.