Big week 23 Oct

Robs Blog

Sunday 23^rd October

Big week in little Darnley.  There have been comings and goings.  Our friend Bec from Toowoomba has been staying with us and learning some culture and how things are done the island way.  On Wednesday Lucy and Lizzie our health workers said to me – “go take the net and catch some sardines for kaikai (food)”  So I did, and in 15 mins with a quick instruction on using a cast net from Lizzie, we had a 10L bucket full of Ariari (soft sardines).  The girls scaled and shallow fried them whole with some coconut rice, and we had a feast for Wednesday lunch.

The look on Bec’s face as she ate her first Sardine whole was priceless. But with a selection of dipping sauces, they were beautiful. And you cant get fresher than Live

In the bucket at 1201, and fried crunchy by 1205.  Yummo!!!

The wind has been blowing and so the fishing has been off this week, which is just as well, because it has been a messy week in the clinic with domestic violence and sick people with a cluster of whooping cough, Hearing team were here (or hear) and that gave us a great opportunity to learn some assessment techniques from the ENT team.  The Public health inspector came and did an audit of the Dangerous Drugs that are kept in our safe.  Now I though I knew my regulations, but this bloke was a walking almanac of legislation!!!  So, as it turns out the safe needs to be bolted to the wall, and ours isn’t!!!!  I didn’t know that it wasn’t.  It is a heavy safe, but I am just hoping that he will be lenient, because the fines are huge!!

He also inspected the council tip.  Like Saibai, the waste from the clinic all goes to the dump which is a bit of a worry, because the public can access it.  You might recall one of my blogs on http://robsoverthetop.blogspot.com where kids at the Saibai school turned up with used blueys, dressings and bandages, and dressing trays!!!   Nasty!  So the PH guy was a little worried about that issue happening here.  Changes are on the wind.

The white cops came yesterday also.  A young woman was assaulted by a bloke on Wednesday night, needed to flee for her safely and whin Domestic Violence hot line is called by women, a mandatory police report is filed.  This lead to the cops ringing us at 9 yesterday morning asking for the clinic car to “do business”  an hour later, He is flown off in custody.  We can all sleep a little easier.

Snorkeling yesterday was good.  All except for a 5 m dark figure swimming past just on the edge of our visibility.  Yep…it is BIG tiger shark season, and so I gathered the kids close (surrounded me so I wouldn’t get eaten) and headed for shallower water.  Still I am a little spooked, but looking forward getting “back on the horse” so to speak.

OK well a quick blog today.  Things are going well.  This place is full of learning for Jo and I daily, but we are starting to acclimatize to the island way, the island clock, and the culture is more ways than I can blog.