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.

Where are all the posts????

What a week!!! It has been full on, and then some. From a climate point of view it has been a windy week. The wind has howled each day whipping up the waves and making white caps. The sea has even looked uninviting, well, for the sea here. And, the fishing has been off!!! We have not eaten fish all week! In desperation tonight I defrosted some thai fish cakes I had in the freezer!!! Oh I miss the Meringandan pub. I am soooo looking forward to a night where I don't have to create a meal.

SO, I think the wind has also made everyone restless. We have been either dead quiet or crazy busy with whole families coming in with illness that needs treating. And remember, families here are not Mum, Dad and 2.1 kids!!!! So it takes a while. Last night we had 2 call outs, one at 8pm and then another at 2am. The paperwork trail and time consuming tasks involved in each visit meant we got into bed again at 4am. It was hard to go back to sleep with a variety of issues flitting around in my brain. Today, it was hard to pronounce some of the more intricate medications we have to dispense.

This week we have had Bec come to visit. She is a 3rd year nursing student who has come for a visit with us, to see what we do out here. Its lovely to have another person to chat with. I worry that we both just went "BLAH" when she first arrived and offloaded our first 5 weeks here. It must have been quite intense for her. But she is made of tough stuff and is a pleasure to have here, especially when she encourages the kids to clean up before we come home!!

Tomorrow, after all the recalls are done, I will take my camera out for a walk. I am going to do some gardening as well as the front of the clinic house is all over grown and over the past week I have gathered a few things to plant, 4 coconut palms and some frangipani trees. The cleaner at work has suggested I use bamboo leaves for mulch so we will gather some of that too. Its nice to be able to garden and throw my mind into something different that reminds me of home. Yawo!

Ok we've acclimatised!!

This blok, is a comblog.  That is I the wordy hairy man will start the blog off, then Jo will come and fill it full of photos and her words of wisdom (because we know that most of you really only log in to see the pics).  DONT look shifty!!! we know the truth.

The week was an interesting one in the clinic.  The Sexual Health team, Womens Health nurse, and Mental Health Nurse were all here this week.  We feel like we need a week or two with no visitors.  Seriously, it is a blessing having the other specialist CNCs (clinical nurse consultants) come.  Aunty Yoko and her team are brilliant with sex health screening, and able to share so much of their knowledge and wisdom in this field with Jo and I.  To have our island mental health patients, met by a specialist CNC in this area is also a great thing.  Mental illness (depression, bipolar and schizophrenia) are such an incredible stigma on an island with a small population.  Everyone's business is everyone's business.  So when Michael comes from the MH team, he can meet with these patients, and really develop a rapport and good therapeutic relationship.  The only hassle when other teams come out, is space.  Our clinic has 2 consult rooms, and a trauma bay, so when women's health is in one room, and mental health is in another room, it gets a little cosy with Jo and i on top of each other in the Trauma bay seeing everything else.  Locals have health care so good here.  If they have to wait more than 10 mins, they get bored and leave, or wander off to the beach or the shop.  Triage really doesn't happen here.  If you are a rip snorting emergency (triage cat 1) you get seen immediately, but if you have had a fungal skin rash since june last year (Triage cat 5) you still get seen immediately (if there is space).  So with many rooms full during those times that specialist clinics are running, people get a bit ansy if they have to wait.

Still it makes for an interesting dynamic.

Jo and I work a 8am - 5pm day Mon-Fri.  Weekends are on call but if there are patients that we see in the week that need follow up on Sat or Sunday, then we are often required to see these people on Overtime.  Makes us good EBay customers, but fatigue encroaches, and then you start the new week not having felt like you had a day off yet.  Saturday yesterday and we both did 9 and a half hours of overtime.  Jo will write more of that experience that started with a dressing on an elder in the morning, and ended with a night helicopter evacuation at 7pm last night.  But today, God willing, We are off call, and heading to the beach for picnic, shell collecting and more fishing and snorkelling.
Here is the Queen to share some of her experience of our week.

I have to start this by saying I wanted to have great photos of our experiences yesterday. But last night was a bit hectic and I was tied up doing other things! So I have some random photos that I will put in, from our fishing at the ramp last week.

Its nice to be able to relax today as yesterday was huge on the back of a busy week. We had a couple of call backs yesterday morning, really just follow ups from Friday, a wound that needed redressing a sick family with colds and a little girls with an ear infection and high temperature. We finished about 10 and were relaxing at home, planning a swim when the phone rang. One of the young women on the island was having a bleed (womens business) and she was worried about the volume. This was a concern as we had been watching her and planned to fly her out on Monday as her haemoglobin was 55 ( normal is 120-150) This is the componant of the blood which carries your oxygen so if this is low it can make you feel very tired. There are many reasons for a depletion but in a young otherwise healthy young woman, it can be a concern. So we headed out to collect her, get her back to the clinic, IV in, monitored her closely and gave her some medication to stop the bleeding. In the middle of all this we remembered that plane was arriving from TI hospital with some important immunisations that needed to be refrigerated straight away. SO I roared off in the car, well as fast as you can on gravel roads with many winds and hills!! This is when I realised that I have re-acclimatised to living here. As I drove back to the clinic, worried about the patient we had, I felt like the airport was a long way away...reality is, its only 4.5km!!!!!!
To cut a long story short, the emergency helicopter was tied up with 2 other emergencies on other islands, and we were third on the list. This is when the isolation becomes scary. There is only so much you can do for people, using basic measures. When blood products, scans, xrays and possible surgery is required, we need a hospital. At 7pm last night we were on the runway, with the box of emergency lights, following a photocopied plan of what lights go where and how to turn them on!!! ( some flash, and some don't) and waiting for the helicopter with our patient in the car. This is when it all feels surreal. You think about all the services in the cities and how each person has a role. Here, its us!!!

Ben and Amy were great yesterday. It must be hard for them when its a weekend and we want to spend time together and we are back at the clinic. Its just next door, but when we have a patient, they know they cannot come in. Today we are going to head out in the car and explore a few beaches.

This is Ben with an epaulette shark. He caught it by hand by the jetty the other night. Its was an odd looking thing but very interesting. We had a good look and then Ben released him back into the water and we watched it slink away.

This is a photo of the sardines jumping! Its an amazing thing to see. Its like a wave that just occurs and fish are leaping everywhere. On dusk it happens every 5 mins or so when the schools are sardines form big bait balls. It usually means something bigger is chasing the sardines!

OK, we are heading out. I might do a double blog today if time permits, more photos and tales of our Torres adventure. Yawo

Hump day

There is always a sense of achievement when hump day is over. You are closer to the weekend, and in a week that has been a mixture of emotions and homesickness, it has given us all a feeling of optimism. It was a quiet day at work, a chance to tidy cupboards and restock and stop for a morning tea of fresh scones bought in by our manager Lucy. The relaxed nature of the day at work reminded us both of how far away from our usual jobs we are, and that we need to savour this for its differences, and not wish it away so we can return to the comfort of home and all that is familiar.

Yesterday afternoon we went back to the beach with the palm trees. Amy and I swam while Rob fished and Ben rock hopped and explored. It was a beautiful afternoon. The sky was clear of all cloud and the water was so clear, you almost didn't need a mask. Amy and I swam around together looking at a mostly rocky bottomed ocean with a few fish and then swam through huge schools of sardines. It was very relaxing.

Rob had a few good bites but nothing stayed on the hook. From time to time some of the sardines would launch out of the water and make a great display...being chased by something bigger no doubt. It was relaxing just the four of us, enjoying the water and our time together. And then the sun sank into the ocean....and Rob captured it.......

Today after work, we headed down to the boat ramp and were met by several of the local kids fishing. They are amazing to watch. Even the little one cast their reels with amazing skill. First of all they "zig" for their bait. This involves launching and empty hook into the bait ball and hooking a sardine. They are very good at this. Its definitely a technique we have yet to master! Another example of generosity though, as one of the local boys caught us some sardines in a cast net so we could fish. About 20 people were along the shoreline fishing and swimming tonight. There were a couple of huge blind sharks swimming around causing much excitement. The kids were pulling in all sorts of fish, and then Rob landed something. It put up a good fight, and took him about 5 minutes to land it. It was great to see him bring in a beautiful fish and my dinner concerns were solved. Well done hunter and gatherer!!

RAN / CSI

I have come to the conclusion, that to be a RAN ( remote area nurse) you have to be a detective. You gather the clues,over look the obvious at times, and come to a conclusion about why the patient has presented and then how to treat or who to call next. When I watch Rob, his detective skills are finely honed, he asks questions I wouldn't have thought of, and then gathers the clues with confidence and comes up with the answer. Each day for me is a huge learning event but I hope that each day, my detective skills get a bit better!
We have had a relaxing weekend, despite a couple of call backs each day. At sunset last night we went down to the beach in front of our place and fished with some sardines that had been caught for us earlier that day. It was very relaxing and the warm water washed up against my feet as I fished. I soon landed a fish, it almost seems to easy here! The gentle waves and the quiet night sounds, and the sunset....it was a great way to wind down.

Today, we headed out in the car to explore the other side of the island. The locals call it "around the back" There are quite a few different beaches, some rocky and some sandy. There is apparently a crocodile that lives somewhere around there but he is rarely seen now. A few years ago he ate the doctors dog. There are plenty of stray and mangy dogs here that he can have for dinner! We found a lovely beach with coconut trees along the front and patches of sand. We had a bit of an explore and watched a huge mass of sardines leap out of the water being chased by some bigger fish. The coconut trees got the better of Ben and he headed up one to take home some coconuts and drink the coconut water. A fresh and young coconut has delicious fluid inside and instead of a hard white meat, it has like a jelly along its edges. Ben just loves it so was very motivated to collect a few. He amazed me with the speed at which he ascended the trunk of the palm!!

The water was just too inviting...and the sand flies too intense, so Rob and I decided to have a dip while Ben was coconut hunting. We just take our snorkels and masks everywhere now as you never know what will be in the water. Sometimes, it can surprise you!! So, bring on the new week. We anticipate new adventures, new people to meet, and new CSI type investigating. Yawo!

Saturday musing

It is early sunday morning.  the sun is comming through the palm, almond and mango trees with a golden filtered light that is not unlike the illumination you would see on a city of gold.  It is as though you could see God smiling on this place.  It has been a quiet 24 hours, as the foot ball grand final for the islands has taken the boyz south to play and cheer for their mob.

The bay at the front of the clinic is still.  Huge schools of baitfish (sardines) have arrived which signals the enslaught of gread heards of trevally, snapper and baracuda.  The locals are excited, the freezers willl be filled with fish in the next few weeks, and no one will go hungry.  some local boys told me that when the trevally come in thick, you only need to fish with a hook on your line.  Throw out the hook and "zig" the hook through a school to foul hook your dinner.  The fishing yesterday was great, so I can only imagine what it might be like in a few weeks.

Our  day started as any usual Saturday,   lazy roll over in bed to check the time, lazy coffee on the front deck watching the ocean.  White birds flock in significant numbers sporadically dive bombing into the bait ball and scoring their own breakfast.  This morning is the same, and I marvel at the efficiency of their hunt.
 A huge bunch of green bananas Ben cut down last week has been rippened in late afternoon sun, and I enjoy one with my breakfast.  It has become a rare treat to enjoy the freshest mashed banana on crunchy toast, but when the barge failed to deliver any bread on the island last monday, we have used wraps (flat breads) which a nice, but not the same.

After breakfast, our first call back patient arrived.  Part of the model of care here mandates that if you see a patient for an acute problem (tonsilitis, infection, wound, blood tests anything acute) , we review in 24-48 hours.  This occasionally falls on the weekend, and so, whilst technically off duty, we are always oncall, so attend to these follow ups.  A small lad with tonsilitis was treated by Jo on Friday night, so she needed to "finish him" Saturday morning.  I love watching her with patients.  She tells me that acute assessment and management scares her (a comfort zone thing), but she is so calm and deliberate and methodical when she is with a patient.  I am amazed at how quick she has adjusted to sole practice as a RAN.

I took off fishing after the call back. Go decided to tidy up the gardens.  She transplanted herbs, and chilli, and other green things with roots.  The prevous Nurse and her Hubby left white boxes of potting mix and so Jo turned this into the soil at the front door and created a really tidy and functional garden.  Some one told us that Darnley is known for oversized things.  " everything is bigger over that side" a western islander warned us when talking about sharks one day.  Well he must have been talking about centipedes too!!!   this monster (bigger than a ruler) came charging out of the potting mix with fangs ready to destroy all and sundry.  I have never seen a centipede this big...it looked prehistoric.  If you get a bite from one of these guys, you are in real trouble.  So...mental note to be careful.

Amy spent the day with another little girl , swimming playing, exploring, and just generally mooching around.  Ben was picked up by an Uncle to go for a day on the reef, exploring, and catching fish with spears.  At 4pm when finishing another call  out with the ambulance, Jo drove the ambulance to the secluded beach where Ben was kicking back under the palms with a family that hosted him.  He looked exhausted, but self actualised.  This is the life for a boy like our Ben.  The family were roasting fresh caught fish over an open fire burning coconut husks and palm.  They had a huge bounty of fish of all shapes and sizes, island scones (which are like bread rolls cooked in palm oil), and fresh locally found fruit (pawpaw, coconut, banana, mangos) which all just grow wild.

The evening had us swimming and snorkeling at sunset, and while Amy, Ben and I swam, Jo through the fishing line in the water and landed a nice snapper.  This place is so far removed from our "normal" life.  It is not that we miss traffic, pollution, noise, and shops...well maybe shops, but things are simple here and not ruled by a clock.  this place is ruled by the tide, and the sunlight.

Powdered milk, and long life products, and fish with every meal, seems somehow easy, and so much less stressful than home.  Perhaps my glass is just half full this weekend, but the reality where i sit, is that is is only Sunday morning.  In 30 mins I will put the phone through to the manager, and then Jo and I are free agents for 24 hours, and this is reason for optimism, with 5 new beaches to explore, and, no doubt, many more fish to catch.

Slip slop slap and...SPLASH!!

TGIF.....nearly

What a week. We knew life would be different here. We knew that both working full time would be a challenge for us and the kids. We knew that we would be on a steep learning curve. But this week has thrown more than a few curve balls our way!!! When we lived in outback Quilpie, we quickly learned that news travels fast in a small town. Here, the population is about half the size of Quilpie and not much stays private. As part of the health care team, this can be very important, patient confidentiality is part of our responsibility as health care providers. Debriefing really has to take place at home....and it feel like work comes with us, and stays with us. This week we have had to helicopter 3 people out with an assortment of ailments. We have seen scabies, boils, lots of "coldsick", bellyrun, domestic violence, and the result of a dog attack which was not nice. From my clean, non clinical role at St Andrews, this is a stark contrast!! It couldn't be more different really. But at least Vince the air con man arrived yesterday and fixed the air conditioners. My new best friend!!!

This photo is taken from on top of Lullawa Hill. Its the highest point on Darnley and I am trying to find out what the elevation is but the view is truly impressive. You have a 360 degree view of the island and on a clear day the ocean is like a palette of blues and greens. This view is looking toward the south of the island where the air strip is. Its a rocky island and at the moment you can find an  assortment of mango, frangipani and hibiscus trees popping up everywhere.Its very pretty. Dotted in amongst this is homes where 16 inhabitants in a four bedroom house is not usual. Its a stark contrast of beauty and chaos......
Today we had a run to the airport in the middle of the day for one of our medivacs. The tide was out, and the views were just stunning. Its only 5km to the airport but the roads are a combination of dirt and bitumen, mostly one lane, and windy, hilly tracks. So the trip takse about 10 minutes. On the way home today, I couldn't help but take this photo. It shows the beautiful colours of the water, the contrast between deep water, shallow sandy bottom and reef, as well as the fish traps. These are very ingenious and were built a long time ago.

 After work today we decided to make the most of the sunlight and have a swim at a place called Sardi ( like Sardine without the ne ) Its a pretty spot. Pumice rock and coral litter the beach along with ting shells and dark sand. There was a big school of sardines in the shallows being chased by bigger fish and we could see them jumping occassionally. The water was just lovely, the right temperature and its crystal clear. We all cooled off and relaxed for a while until the sandflies won. But it was a great way to wind down. The sunset wasn't bad either. Good night Darnley. Please sleep well.....Lucy and I are on call.........Yawo

Exodus 2

Monday morning.  Greeting it with anticipation and a bit of anxiety.  When Jo and I arrived, there was Chris and Annie the permanent RAN.  They left last Monday morning leaving Jo and I and Juerg (the doctor) and Susi, his wife (also one of the nurses).  Comfort in numbers.
This morning Juerg and Susi leave.  Leaving Jo and I.
This is the real deal.  Jo and I have enjoyed the Draeyer's company over our first two weeks here.  Another family to chat to, and debrief to.  At 830 this morning we will just have each other.

Ben and Amy are back at school today.  For Ben the challenge of home school in year 10 (final term) looms.  This is his real test of fortitude, and resilience.  Ben can commit himself to the work, and Jo and I trust that he can thrive, but Darnley has so much distractions.  A reef of adventure literally on our door step is always a more appealing option than trigonometry and grammar.  He is to source work experience these first two weeks of term.  No mean feat when you consider that the opportunities here for work are almost non existent.  Many islanders live on a "work for the dole" scheme, where menial tasks like rubbish clearing, and road maintenance are the primary industry.  The teens on the island start their exodus back down south to Thursday Island and Cairns for school this week, and this will make Ben somewhat an island in that he is the only one (with out a baby) in his age group left here.

Amy starts her first day of Darnley School.  There will be other year 4 kids in her composite 3/4 class, and a few of the other children that she met will be familiar faces for her.  Especially little Zoe who has taken Amy under her wing and shown her the best of the island through a child's eyes.   It was Zoe's Dad that took the kids out in his dingie on Saturday,  when Ben landed that mackerel.

 Starting school here will be a great new experience for her.  Jo and I are thankful that they have both been able to occupy them selves given the fact that we have both had to work full time (and then some) these past two weeks.

Well ...a quick breakfast post this is.  Must get ready for the day, and Job 1 is to take the doctor and nurse team that have been so much part of our orientation, and package them on a plane for their journey home.

We are it.  Exciting, but scary just the same.  wish us luck  .

Robs words...sunday reflections

Robs Blog

Good Morning all.  It has been more than a week since I graced my fingers on the key board.  When I was lonely and isolated in the other islands without my family, the blog seemed so easy to maintain because it was my only real connection to Jo and the Kids with my adventures, observations and stories.   In a sense, the Blogspot website became a proxy family.  Since being here on Darnley with my family, I have seldom had motivation to type, and have really enjoyed kicking back and reading Jo’s reflections and excellent photography.  I think what I am enjoying the most about this experience is watching the pennies drop with her and the kids.  I recently read back some of my earlier Saibai blogs and they are reminiscent of the observations, and comments that Jo and I chat about in the evenings here.  As she pieces the reflections of her own adventure together, I am almost reliving the wonder of this place all over again.

To blogspot.com, I know you must feel neglected, and that eBay.com is the “other woman” but I still love you.  But Jo does such a good job at telling our story.

The clinical lessons for me continue.  I am astounded that I am still climbing the Everest of knowledge in this place.  As an emergency nurse, and a text book zealot, I genuinely believed that my knowing was deep and wide.  Well may that be, but this place has been given to me to experience so much more than that which is written in a cold, clinical manual.  Together Jo and I have dealt with some issues clinically that are both rich feasts of learning, but also issues that are raw and confronting.  My blogs in the early days were littered with the specs of the ugly side of a community, but for the most part, and so I wasn’t offending my Island hosts, they were penned in a positive light.  If the cold hard truth is to be told, this place struggles with all the same ugliness that we endure on the mainland.  Only, it is in our face a bit more.

When alcoholism manifests as violence, child neglect, domestic violence and medical deterioration, happens on the mainland;  It seems to be streamed into a “department” that looks after the aftermath.  For the most part, general nurses wont play a large role in picking up the pieces of broken people and broken families.  But here, and all the Islands (and I dare say all remote communities), the fall out from alcohol fuelled shenanigans, is managed by the remote area nurses (RANs).  The role of a RAN is complex.  There is on one sense an expectation that you are a man (or woman) with many hats.  A confidant, a counselor, a nurturer, a comforter, a custodian, a protector, a medic, a friend.  This list could go on and on, and mine is not to define nursing up here, but to survive doing it. 

It is probably the reason why, sitting on my verandah, in the beautiful breeze, gazing at the magnificent ocean, with my Kin inside still sleeping, that I reflect.  And my reflections are one of content.  I have my soul mate here.  She feels like a fish out of water at the moment, but she has a gentle way with these people that are subjected to awful sequelae of the nasty side of this job.  For the women and children here, that may struggle to accept health care from a male nurse, Jo is phenomenal in her calm and confident approach to the situations that make me cringe.

I was fishing on Friday evening, just 200m away on the jetty.  Amy wandered down to me to tell me the ‘Mum’ had a call out.  A young mother with a 2 month old baby had been the subject of physical domestic violence.  She had come to the health centre to seek shelter, safety and medical help.  Jo was there, doing it with a confidence that I had not seen before.  This woman was in her excellent hands.  Would she or could she had come to me for this help??  I doubt it.  It is complicated.  The relationships between island women and men would almost make it impossible for me to do anything more than stitch her wounds.  But Joanne is the whole package, and she inspires me.

It is a tough place for Jo to walk out of a community nursing role in a flash private hospital, and into a clinic in the tropics with nothing familiar.  Home sick takes on a whole new meaning and one which permeates your psyche.  It is not just missing comforts of home, or shops, and places of  familiarity, smells, friends that are readily available for a pop in or chat, and a ‘normal work life’.  It is a place that is alien, yet inspiring and beautiful, and challenging.  But, gee Id love to just stop at the Meringandan Pub for a good steak, or the BCF and laugh at the small fish hooks, or the cinema for a good flick, or Gloria Jeans for a proper coffee!!  And I know Jo and the kids feel the same.

The fish trap this morning is starting to fill again.  As the tide rolls in, the trap fills up with water, and fish.  Amy and another little girl went snorkeling in it yesterday, and said that the experience was ‘prapa deadly’, I think that means good, I cant be sure, she is turning into a creole speaking Ilan gel.  How blessed we are that we can sit on our verandah to supervise her swimming just 40 m from the house.  Did I say this was an amazing place.  On Friday morning Jo and I sat here to have our coffee break, and the trap was full (high tide or what the locals call ‘hiwata’).  Right where the girls were swimming yesterday, a pod of 5-6 dolphins played in the shallow (4ft deep) water.  It was surreal.  The sea is flattening off.  In a few weeks it will be like glass, and then the Big game fishing season starts.  The Mackerel that Ben caught yesterday at 110cm will be considered undersize, and thrown back in disgust.  The monsters of the deep will be hauled into dingies, with the pelagic beasts needing two men to lift into the boat.  1.6 m long and 30 kg Spanish mackerels, will start being processed and sent south.  There is an anticipation in the air, and an optimism that the ‘calm’ before the storms has come early, and that the fishing is about to go “off ”. 

Today, as I sit here, listening to the church bell calling us to worship, I ponder our time here as a family, the learning curve for us all, and the changes in our perspective that makes us all stronger.  Emotionally we all run up and down, hot and cold.  But blessed to be here and making the very most of what can only be described as an awesome place. 

Yawo !!

Where do I start??

Friday was a busy day. We had a steady stream of patients and then a little one that was unwell and needed to be flown out for treatment at TI Hospital. One of the frustrations here is communication. So you ring the airport in TI and see if there are any seats available on incoming planes. They give you an approxinmate arrival time. You drive out to the airport (about 15 mins away ) and wait on the runway. Depending on what time the ferry arrives in TI, depends on when the planes can leave, as well as the weather. So we sat on the run way and waited, and waited, and then a plane arrived but would not take our patient as he was not going back to TI straight away. So we waited another half and hour and then decided to drive back to the clinic to check on what was happening. Of course when we got back here, we heard the plane, so took off again and finally got our patient away. In an emergency, they can fly in a helicopter but as it was raining and foggy on Friday they were reluctant to do this. 

Friday was also the day that the tombstone opening was on. We closed the clinic early in anticipation and at about 3pm we headed up the road to where the family were holding the ceremony. People are buried at home here, in front or back yards. I guess houses not do change hands very often and stay in families for generations, so this is ok. The gentleman had died 3 years ago and yesterday was the day to unveil the tombstone on is grave and hold a big party to thank everyone who had supported them during their time of grieving. The initial ceremony is like a church service, but a very colourful one. Each family seem to have their own fabric that their island dresses are made of, almost like the Scottish tartan signifies a clan. The tombstone is surrounded by a hut made of bamboo and decorated with colorful  fabric and gifts for the family. 

The ceremony is conducted by a minister and remembers the deceased while traditional hymns are sung accompanied by the island drums ( warup ). Its very moving. The sound of the music and the colours of all the clothes were really beautiful and we felt very privileged to be a part of it all

After the ceremony, we were all invited to return for the feasting at 7pm. Slowly the villagers dispersed back up the road, to return in a couple of hours.

We came home and relaxed, reflecting on what we had seen. The richness of the culture and how it differs from what we do at home. Then it was time to return for the feast.

The houses here are simple fibro blocks. Many are run down and the salty, humid area causes fast deterioration. When we returned to the home of the family hosting the feast, the back area had been transformed with bamboo, palm leaves and frangi pani flowers to make an amazing outdoor seating area and a dancing arena. We were invited to sit at a table where we listened to a traditional grace sung and accompanied by drum before the feasting began. Three huge tables were laden with an amazing assortment of food, all sorts of meat including turtle and Dugong, traditional vegetables cooked in coconut milk (sop sop) rice covered in coconut cream, heaps of salads…..it was just an amazing sight. Remember, there are no restaurants here to help with catering, it was all made by family member. So we feasted, and still the tables were full. Ben asked if he could have seconds and was invited to keep going back for thirty extra helpings….The food was really delicious but I found the turtle meat to have an unusal flavour, perhaps an acquired taste……or did I just feel uncomfortable eating it??

At about 9pm, we headed outside to where the dancing area had been set up. There were to be dancers from Darnley Island as well as neighbouring Murray Island. It was relaxing sitting and chatting and the anticipation of watching the local dancing built as we waited…..and waited. At 10pm, the dancing started. Loud singing ad drums beating and dancers adorned with head dresses and skirts made from palm leaves. There was nothing graceful about it. It was fierce and warrior like and just amazing. The dancers were all male and they were proud and precise in their movements. Every now and then, some of the women from the crowd would walk amongst them and sprinkle them with powder. I think it was to show their appreciation. Its so hard to describe it all, and the photos just do not do it justice as it was so fast. It will be something we will never forget. At 1130pm, we decided to head home as we were all weary and Rob and I were on call last night and today. The dancing continued until 7am this morning!! Needless to say, it was a very quiet island today, we had a couple of call outs, and sadly a dog to put down as it was unwell with a large tumour on its neck……Island life is never dull!!

The Dancer is from a successful dance team on Darnley called the "Purple Spiders"  The skirt is Coconut leaf, the left arm has arrows in a quill, and the Right hand is holding a traditional bamboo fish net.  On the dancers head is the iconic Dari, or head dress that is quintessentially Torres Strait, and even part of the Torres Flag.  The Ladies wear them in their hair, and dancers on their head.   

One of the local fishermen invited Ben and Amy out I his dingy for a ride today. Off they headed, and returned about 45mins later with this!!!  Bens first Fish over 5 kg.  This 8.3KG Spanish Mackerel, was landed in 10 mins.  Awesome Catch Ben!!

Its been a fun packed 24 hours. We have had a delicious meal of mackerel for dinner, a lovely chat with my sister Louise, and now, its time for sleep. Darnley, please sleep peacefully tonight…..I need some sleep.