While out doing home visits: young children in the family were playing with a hairless joey they'd had since the day before. Leanne, a RAN (remote area nurse), took it to the rangers, while I waited with Rosemary, a RAN back here to be the chronic disease coordinator. It may be too young to survive, but the family had no bottle or syringe.
Rosemary knows the community well, and it's great she's back. She and Kirsty, another RAN, have been coming for many years. The team is about to change dramatically, as at least 5 RANs are leaving withing a few weeks. Continuity is so important here, but so hard to maintain.
The fruit and veggie shop didn't open on Tuesday (the day the fresh supplies come in) - "not enough staff"
Last Friday (27th July) was a public holiday for Royal Darwin Show day. We weren't required to work, so we drove to Daly River. Some of you may have been there. We stayed in a caravan park right on the river. We'd arranged to meet up with Nick & Rosie & family - they were on their way to Broome. We had a great time catching up with them, and we also caught 2 freshwater sharks! Enough to feed us all. Daly River is on the road to Wadeye. So we came from the west, and the others came in from the east.
We brought a sprouting coconut back from Daly River, hoping it might grow in the garden.
Going out of the clinic one night after work, we met a lady. She told us that her husband had passed away a few months ago, and she felt lonely, so she would pray. She said she was the designer and printer of the material I'd bought from the women's centre, and the money from the sale would help her when she goes to Darwin for an operation. It was good to sit and chat.
Not a drop of rain during our time in Wadeye! We're back in cold Victoria now, having left yesterday. I'd hoped we'd have time on our last day to be a bit relaxed, saying goodbyes etc. But it was a busy medical day, starting off with a really sick baby who Tim was involved with, intraosseous fluid resuscitation and then transfer (a similarly acidotic child had died in the clinic a few weeks back, before we arrived). Then in the afternoon, I helped organise the transfer of two patients with serious infections, one a wound on his foot, that had been discharging for months, the other probably had a foreign body in his foot. All the plane seats were taken, it being another long weekend (NT Picnic Day this time) so a special charter came for them.
We've been thinking about The Invervention, and Stronger Futures.. those thoughts are not quick snippets! The issues are not simple, and we see many aspects to it all. Hopefully the subject of another post.
As the call came over the clinic PA, "The car is ready to go to the airport," we gathered with the staff. One of the RANs is a Zulu. She got us to hold hands, and she sang the 23rd Psalm. It was very moving, and a lovely send off. We're sad to leave. We feel that we've been able to build on last year's experience, and also continue some relationships. We hope to be back some time!
It's great to be home now, despite the temperature. It's special to see family again (what lovely smiles Isabel gave us, and what fun with Georgi!). We have a week before starting back at work here.
