Local Bloke – William Mooney

By James Hutton on April 12, 2016 in People

When ENT surgeon Dr William Mooney isn’t plying his trade at Prince of Wales Hospital, he’s busying running his Face Plus Medispa empire. The Bondi resident shares his local favourites with The Beast…

How long have you lived here?
I grew up in Melbourne and moved to Bondi in ’96. I don’t plan on leaving any time soon.

What’s your favourite beach?
I love the elusive Mackenzies when it appears, and diving off ‘Flat Rock’ at North Bondi.

What’s your favourite eatery?
It’s hard to go past La Piadina for brekkie, Sean’s for lunch and Raw Bar for dinner.

Where do you like to have a drink?
Icebergs in the afternoon, the Stuffed Beaver for a ‘Bloody Caesar’, or the Anchor in Bondi for a ‘Machete’.

Do you have a favourite sporting team?
I’m an absolute Swans tragic. I go to every match.

What music are you into at the moment?
Bondi FM, until I am out of range. I also enjoy Disclosure, Tame Impala and Rufus, and really old Midnight Oil to get into surf mode.

Who is your favourite person?
I’m pretty lucky to have a brilliant group of friends and family, but my daughter Pepper probably steals my number one spot. She is my little beach buddy and my Sydney Swans sidekick, but yes, I have to sit through imaginary Barbie tea parties.

What do you get up to on the weekends?
I surf, I go to the markets for some pho, and I have lunch with friends or go to the beach with my daughter. I love having friends over, too.

What do you do for work?
I am a surgeon and work out of Prince of Wales Hospital. I also have clinics in Bondi Junction and Bankstown, and I’m opening a new medispa, Face Plus, in The Pacific development at Bondi Beach. It’s about health and wellness inside and out.

What’s your favourite thing about your work?
I am an ENT surgeon (Ear, Nose and Throat) and it’s a pretty varied and busy gig. I do a lot of cancer work, which is very challenging; it’s euphoric when it’s successful, but heart breaking when we don’t win. In my private practice it’s more general ENT, but I get an equal thrill from getting a nose straight, helping a kid breathe better or removing a tumour.

Do you have a favourite quote?
At medical school we use to say: “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy.”

Any other words of wisdom for readers of The Beast?
Humour is ultimate panacea. You can conquer the world with a smile.