A well-known name and face amid the region's rugby clubs, Orange Emus president Jamil Khalfan is also an academic gun off the field.
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The 29-year-old scholar has been called up by the Royal Agricultural Society Foundation (RASF) for a scholarship, making a list of just 11 Central West students to receive the esteemed nod.
Out of his cohort he is the only one studying a Doctor of Medicine, he's also the only Orange-based recipient.
"To have that rural focus is so special and it's tough out here for a lot of people, including country-based students, so this scholarship is such a beneficial thing to have," Mr Khalfan said.
"I certainly wouldn't be able to do this degree without it, and after the opportunity came to study medicine regionally, that's when I really made the shift."
The youngest of five boys and a proud product of the Harden-Murrumburrah area, Mr Khalfan attended primary school in the Hilltops Region and high-schooling in Canberra.
Attaining his Bachelor of Pharmacy through Sydney University, he then based himself in Orange for work in 2019.
But more recently, he's been "unexpectedly" on track to follow in the footsteps of his now-retired parents.
His mother, Jenny Khalfan (nee Kildea) was born and bred in Harden, who worked a lifelong career in nursing. His father, Dr Yusufali Khafan, was the sole practitioner of Harden Medical Centre for nearly four decades.
Though there were some odds stacked against them; which is why their last born child speaks so highly of their monumental feats.
"Mum and dad met at the hospital [in Harden] in the late 70s, but dad grew up in Kenya on the east coast of Mombasa and studied medicine in Uganda, Africa," Mr Khalfan said.
"He moved to Australia with a friend and after visiting from the city to see their GP friend (in Grenfell), that's when the opportunity to start the Harden practice came about.
Dad grew up in Kenya on the east coast of Mombasa that came with its own prejudices initially.
- Jamil Khalfan on start-up challenges for practitioner father when first moving to Harden.
"Dad was obviously very different to the rest of the community, and that came with its own prejudices initially, but everyone needs to access health at some stage, so it broke that barrier pretty quickly."
Mr Khalfan said the country community "grew to love" his dad, navigating those start-up challenges becoming an important part of his own values today.
With tertiary education also a "paramount" family base, it's this ambition that has (unknowingly, at times) steered his career direction.
"I'd like to do the same sort of things that dad did, be those positive changes that both my parents made in a regional community, and while the exact end goal isn't locked in for me as yet, it's a strong possibility I could end up being a GP," he said.
"But one thing I'll continue is to stay regionally or remotely, that won't change for me. I want to practice in a speciality area out here, because I see the disproportionate access that people have in the country and I want to be part of the solution."
The RASF Rural Scholarship awarded a record total of 73 students across NSW and the ACT in its 2023 intake.
Donors cover $6000 for those studying full-time and $3000 for part-time students, with the foundation's manager Cecilia Logan saying the society is "honoured to support the next generation of bright young minds" in their academic pursuits.
I see the disproportionate access that people have in the country and I want to be part of the solution.
- Jamil Khalfan is set on remaining on rural soil to improve health and medical landscape.
Back at home in Harden, Mr Khalfan's parents now enjoy family visits and travels in their retirement - feeling "super proud" of their five success stories, their children.
Between their children is a physiotherapist, a telecommunications engineer, a veterinarian, and an academic economist.
One day soon, they might be able to add the title of medical doctor to the group.
"I want to lay some grass roots here and make an impact in the regional setting," Mr Khalfan said, "and the best way that we can change the health landscape is to make a difference, right from the start."
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