Celebrating 60 Years of Kidney Transplants in NSW – A Milestone in Medical History

This August marks 60 years since the first successful kidney transplant in NSW, performed on 5 August 1965 at Prince Henry Hospital, Little Bay. Led by Professor Joe Murnaghan (urologist) and Dr Doug Tracy (vascular surgeon).  The surgery gave the patient, Dorothy Wilkie, a new lease on life and set the foundation for decades of innovation in renal care. Remarkably, her transplanted kidney functioned for 32 years. 

This historic operation was only the second successful kidney transplant in Australia and launched one of the country’s oldest transplant services.  

Today, the East Coast Renal Services continues this legacy through its comprehensive Kidney Transplant Service at Prince of Wales Hospital, performing over 50 transplants each year.  

“We are very proud of our service and the excellent reputation the Prince of Wales Hospital has in the transplant community. I am blessed every day to see how the generosity of donating a kidney changes lives in small & big ways,” says Denise Lawrence, Clinical Nurse Consultant for Renal Live Donor Transplant Co-ordinator, Renal Transplant Co-ordinator at the Kidney Care Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital.  

Services include transplant suitability assessments, donor evaluations, education, pathology, and long-term follow-up delivered in person or via telehealth. 

From its pioneering beginnings to its present-day impact, the service remains committed to improving lives through kidney transplantation. For those facing advanced kidney disease, this service offers hope and life-changing support. 

Published 6 August 2025