Geoffrey Edelsten was born in Melbourne on May 2, 1943 and spent most of his years surrounded by controversy.

Born in Carlton to Jewish migrant parents, he studied at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1966.

After working as a resident at the Royal Melbourne Hospital he became a GP, and with a colleague established a practice in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

In the 1980s he set up a string of open-all-hours medical clinics that featured grand pianos and chandeliers in the waiting rooms. Patients, who were bulk-billed, flocked to the clinics.

He was deregistered in NSW in 1988 and later in Victoria.

He became, by his own description, a “white knight” of the Swans in 1985 as they faced dire financial pressure and concerns they couldn’t…