Christmas on Darnley Island

Its a balmy Tuesday night, after Christmas. We are sitting on the verandah out the front of the house, as the sun sets over the sea. The sea is like glass and just over an hour ago we were snorkeling in it. We have a few tea light candles burning in clam shells and a mozzie coil burning as malaria and dengue are making their way here from PNG. Its still, and quiet and we know we love it.....10 days to go before we head home....

Christmas Day was a quiet affair with the four of us. We had an evening meal of turkey and sop sop, a traditional dish made with sweet potato and pumpkin all cooked in coconut cream ( Jenny Craig would love it!!!) I had been very convincing with the kids about not getting much for Christmas so they were surprised and happy when they opened their presents. Robert made me some shortbread and attached a pharmacy label to the box he put it in prescribing "one daily". A lovely thoughtful and yummy gift. We played some cards and watched a movie together. Although I missed family at home, it was lovely to be the four of us, especially as our time here draws to a close and it all gets busy when we head home. I want to savour these times together and make the most of them.

The island has been quiet too with just a couple of calls each day for minor things. We have been out swimming at least once a day and done some fishing as well on the jetty. I have decided that fishing is not about catching fish but enjoying the water and watching other people! There is always some activity at the jetty and one evening someone had filleted their fish on the jetty which encouraged these three!!

So with just a short time left, and some anxiety about fitting back into the world we left, Rob and I both feel like we need to "suck it all in", absorb as much of Darnley as we can. It has been so much more than I could have imagined. I have experienced emotions here that I have not before. I have been so saddened and angry by some of the neglect I have seen, particularly towards children. I have been furious by the culture of bullying here, particularly in the schools that just seems to be OK. I have been really frightened for our safety a couple of times....But the overall, parting feelings, are of amazement at this world, thankfulness at the genorosity of some of the locals, and a connection to a culture that I hope we will be able to come back to one day. I can't say a culture to belong to, as I don't think this is possible as an outsider. But a culture that has touched both our hearts and one that will stay with us.

 

The Big Torres Pond - by Robert Timmings

With my snorkel and mask,

I race to the waist,

with a lunge and a plunge

I am swilled but so thrilled

at the plight that I sight,

as I gaze and amaze

and I look in a nook

at the creatures and features

In the big Torres pond

My eyes seem surprised

I'm a lout watching trout.

Its immoral to touch coral

but my glove it does love,

To touch a fish and I wish,

that I should if I could,

have some gills, oh the thrills.

Floating slack, so relaxed

In the big Torres pond.

A turtle sprints, and he hints,

He's unfazed, in a daze.

Giant clams, big as a man.

Blue sting ray, out for the day

Fish abound, all around.

Flashes of light, so I might

Get excited or frighted

of a shark in the dark

In the big Torres pond.

Cray fish, with a death wish

Anenomies with no enemies

Fish are stripey, some mighty

All slick, swim so quick

Run in fear, from Ben's spear

As he lunges and plunges

To the deep, just to reap

Custaceans's fate, becomes our full plate

From the Torres pond.

New baby.......

I have decided that being a RAN is a bit like having a new baby. You have disturbed sleep from call out at all hours of the night, lots of people give you advice on how they think you should be doing things, and just when you think you have a handle on things, something new comes along and you have to learn a whole new set of challenges.

One of the island Patriarchs returned from Cairns on Tuesday, after a month away having surgery on his leg ulcers. The most worrying one was removed and the skin graft has taken and is healing well. But the large ulcer on the front of his leg was really moist and very sloughy when I first saw it Tuesday afternoon. After consultation with the oncall Dr, he decided we would try some topical antibiotics as the surrounding skin looked healthy. However yesterday, things had deteriorated. This is a man who has been flown off numerous times for cellulitis. So Rob, put in a drip and we are on a regime of antibiotics via the drip every 6 hours for the next 48 hours. That’s OK. Our AO flew out yesterday for a weeks holiday and so we are seeing patients and doing the medicare forms, finding and filing charts and answering phone. That’s OK. We have 2 health workers here to help. One is 26 weeks pregnant and spends more time at home than here and her hours are fairly random. That’s OK……Then today, we discover our other health worker is a close contact for a contagious disease and needs to spend the next 5 days at home, on antibiotics herself, until she is no longer contagious. Its just about now I am feeling a little like its not OK. So its Rob and I and our random health worker who is a trainee, and doesn’t drive! We have no manager, no administrative support and the ambulance that the council are supposed to look after is still sitting out the front of the clinic where it stopped over a week ago, and will not restart. I have to take a deep breath in, and then let a deep breath out, and remind myself that Dan Murphys.com are only a phonecall and a barge delivery away, and that my supplies have not yet run dry.

Livin the dream, wild ride that it is :)   Yawo!!

So many photos!

I really must blog more often. This past week has been huge and so when I looked through all the pictures to complement the past week, it was really difficult. So for all of you that love the photos, this one is for you!

On Monday, I headed off to Thursday Island for a medical appointment, as you do here, to see specialists. It probably could have waited until I cam home but the opportunity to see TI was very enticing as well as the chance to see Sam and Glenis off in TI. Travel here is quite tricky and as there were no flights on Monday on the usual service, I was advised to book on Strait up. This service is designed for Queensland Health staff to travel within the district for work purposes. So my flight left 10 mins after Sam and Glenis, but there was only me on the plane! When I got on, our visiting midwife got off the plane for a couple of days on Darnley. It had been a stormy morning and she advised I didn't seat where she had sat as the plane leaked and she had got quite wet! As it was just the pilot and I, I had the choice of seats, I felt a bit like the queens, and sure enough, once we were airborne and into the storms, the roof sank in slightly and the dripping recommenced! Still, I felt like the Queen in my private plane, and settled back to enjoy the flight.

I had a good few hours in Thursday Island, visited all the little shops, (6 of them!) saw the specialist and then joined Sam and Glenis on the ferry back to Horn Island where we were to get our flights, theirs south to Cairns and mine north, back to Darnley. It was so good having Sam and Glenis visit. The two weeks with them flew past and happy hour was very happy with lots of laughs, some sunset watching and a couple of drinks. As we were sitting at the airport. Glenis asked me if I wished I was going with them, home. And as I replied, "No", I realised that I really am not quite ready yet. As much as I am looking forward to going home, my time in the Torres is not done yet.
 We said our farewells, I boarded my little plane, my private plane again(!!) and sat glued to the window for the 60 minute trip back to Darnley. The view was just so amazing after the storms had cleared away. the air was clear and the ocean such beautiful shades of blues and greens, and assortments of island popping up every now and then, all shapes and sizes.....

Clinically this week, we were steady but not busy. We had the visiting midwife and a GP for a few days. Rob and I continue to do the detective work with a strain of Pertussis (whooping cough) that has been a problem for the past couple of months. Families have such close contact here and with the incubation period of 3 weeks, we just think we are on top of it, and then discover another case of two. Its very interesting working out who will be at risk and then immunising and treating those who are infected or contacts. The ambulance finally died this week, we had to do a push start from a patients house, it was good they lived on a hill and we were facing the right direction!!! We do have another car which will be good for emergencies. On Yorke Island, when the car breaks down, they have resorted to collecting patients in a wheelbarrow! Fortunately, its flat there!!
On Friday, Bens friend Laughlan arrived from Toowoomba for a weeks stay. An hour after he landed, he and Ben were taken out cray diving, and came back with some success and huge smiles!

Yesterday, we were taken over to Stephen and Nepean Islands by uncle Pau. Stephen Island has a population of about 50 and is a very pretty island. Its about 60 minutes from here by speed boat ( dingy, as all boats are called here) It was a great trip across and at times we could see huge coral bombies under the boat as we sped along. We had about an hour to look around Stephen Island. it has the cutest church I have ever seen!

We went to one of the locals homes which was right on the water, literally. I am sure the high tide came up around the stumps of the home! He had a pet turtle, as many do here. They keep them for a while and then release them back into the ocean. They are such beautiful animals, the colours on their shells are so vivid!

 Another thing that Stephen Island is well known for are the Helmet shells. They live in pairs on the reef / sand, and the locals eat the meat. They can grow to an amazing size and are just another example of the incredible diversity of life here. Ben and Laughlan found these couple on the beach lodged in a tree but we believed they were put there by someone so we replaced them.

Our next stop off was Nepean Island. I am not sure of its size but we circled it in the dingy before hopping off on the beach, and it took about 5 mins to do so. No one lives on Nepean but it is a popular fishing and camping spot for the local islanders. The white sand was pristine with turtle tracks running everywhere. We snorkled for a while and saw a couple of big bull rays. Ben and I collected a few shells on the beach and I found a HUGE sand dollar shell. Ben and Laughlan had the traditional sand fight, as you do, and all up, it was very relaxing to get away for a few hours

Today, we decided to have a sun free day. Realising we are only 2 weeks away from Christmas, we decided to make our own tree. Its amazing how a few different minds, some cardboard, glue and Christmas carols playing in the background, can result in a Christmas tree. It was a lot of fun and now we all feel like its actually Christmas. I guess when you don't have the constant media and shops bombarding the Christmas message, you can loose track of time. Its nice though, Christmas this year will be what we make it, just the four of us. Perhaps we will have more time this year to reflect on why we celebrate, and also the importance of family.... Yawo for now!!

Nanna's Blog

Well blog followers this ones unique its a 'NANA' blog   Have they left me anything to say, well I think maybe I can contribute something.

 

A lot has been said about fish and we have had seven or eight different types, cooked as many ways as the imagination can come up with, and enjoyed every single way, but  what I want to say is how generous and kind these folk are in helping provide us with their food.   I had only been here for one day, when a strange man comes up to me and hands me two freshly caught coral trout. I knows your son he says these are for you.  This same man "Jackson" by name,. took Ben and Sam out for a days fishing on another day and would take nothing in return.. A few days later another fish from another person.   Then Uncle Ben (an older man) arrives with a huge bowl on "Namus" which is pickled raw fish absolutely delicious and we enjoyed that with cous cous.  The respect they have for older  people here has to be seen to be believed and I think the younger generation in our culture could learn a lot from these island people, and wait for this Rob and Jo, its wonderful how they look after   them in old age.   I don,t think there is any nursing homes in Island communities.

 

There is rubbish laying about on some of the foreshores but I question if it is their fault or is it washed up on the island shores by larger vessels and pawn trawlers  and commercial fishemen etc.   But what was impressive was NO graffitti to be seen anywhere.

 

Having said that what is washed up quite frequently is ghost net, and fish nets, these have been reccycled in  most impressive ways.   We called into the art centre to watch some of the women at work on this enormous fish, which will be going down to Woolangabba when finished for a display down in Brisbane.   This and many other arts and crafts were in progress and it amazed me how they were using shells, old, rag, nets, seeds and anything that could be recycled to make such lovely wares, some for sale and some for display.  They were all very welcoming yet again and proud to show off their craft.

 

So onto a subject that hasn,t been spoke about.  Birds. There are not a lot mostly Terns, Frigates are the sea birds as opposed to our seagulls and pelicans.   They must be the most full birds with the sardines in abundance and can be spotted night and day fishing and feeding like they never

  get fed.  Also parrots, green,  ones and blue ones flit amongst the mango trees and I guess they fed on the seeds and fruit which is also plentiful.   Then I saw tiny wee birds, so small you have to be quick to spot.  

These are some of the sea birds  that Ben and Grandad saw nesting on the sand island that they stayed on.

 

I have spoken about the generosity but a few minutes ago one of Rob and Jo,patients just turned up with this amazing shell a gift for me to take home.  Apparently its from Steven Island and his surname of course Steven.  It is their tradition to give visitors to their island part of their island to take home.    I was very humbled.

 

Is life here idyllic.?  Yes it is for a short time, but eventually the isolation would get you down?   Have we enjoyed our stay? I cant think of anywhere better that I have been, and I am so grateful for the opportunity.  However the most important  thing for us was seeing How Rob and Jo work together at a job that never ends, with constant call outs day and night.  The pride they take in their work, and the  affection and respect they have made amongst they island people has made us so very proud of them both.  Yes we know there are many Remote area Nurses, but I believe these two are special and will be remembered for a long time once they depart the Torres Islands in January to go home for a well deserved rest.   Thank you Rob and Jo with all our heart for making this possible, and thank you my face book friends for convincing me to overcome my fear of flying and just come.

 

God Bless the RAN,S

 

 

The fishing trip, and the body bag.

Bens blog.

Right, so Friday afternoon, dad comes home with grandad saying, "grandad is going out with a local fisherman, reef fishing then spending the night on a sand cay and returning Sunday - do you wanna go?" I think for a bit and think, 'nah, it'll be hot, and nasty out on the sand cay for the night, I better not' but then I think about grandad all alone except for a man he has never met, out at sea for two days...... Yeah I better go.

Saturday, 7:50 - I get up and pack my fishing gear ready for the crazy doom awaiting me, as dad patches up my hand with brown goop, then green goop (that stung like hell) and a nice big dressing to limit infection then he went into the store room and came out with two (what looked like, grey tarps) and said " here, you can in these, there body bags...."

Sooooo, I'm going out in a dingy, with a guy I've never met, staying the night, in a BODY BAG, on a blip of sand a 3rd the way to PNG.... Fun!

Skip a few minutes - now I'm standing on the jetty packing my snorkelling gear, cray-fish spear, fishing lines, pillows and my body bag into the 5ft boat and now we're ready to set sail! Or well... Motor...

It's now 10:00am, it is stinking hot, in glaring sun, with no shelter in the middle of the ocean fishing. Sweating bullets and not catching anything I pray to God for a little cloud cover to take the heat away. Be careful what you pray for! I got my cloud cover! But with it, brought rain, and storm, and wind. Wind = big seas, and the big seas = sea sickness. Now I've never been known to get sea sick but I had never felt so miserable!

3:00 - The fisherman, looks up and says to grandad "come on we better get him to some land" me pretending not to hear, but desperately hoping this means back to Darnley, is shocked and annoyed to find us now traveling northwards further. After about 5 minuets the old bloke points out a tiny speck of sand on the horizon.

We finally arrive at the classroom sized sand island and the fisherman, jumps off and orders me to do something with the anchor, as I try to fiddle with the ropes,I apparently do something wrong as he starts shouting abuse and nasty words my way. Finally we offload the sleeping gear as I lie down and try not to throw up, pull out the tarp, food, water and body bags and then old mate jumps back in the dingy! And says I'll be back later, I'm going fishing again..... There he goes, disappears off the horizon leaving grandad and I standing on a desert island wondering "what now?"

Ok, so this fishing trip isn't exactly enjoyable, it's starting to make grade 9 camp look like a holiday. Grandad and I have a look around at the little cay, littered with sand dollars, sea bird eggs, and turtle tracks that look like the single track of a 4X4. Grandad picks up some shells as I unfold my body bag, thinking "man, I hope these arn’t recycled" and slowly crawl inside it, grab my pillow and zip it back up again. I wonder if it's considered taboo sleeping in a body bag?

As it gets too hot in the afternoon sun I decide to climb back out of my body bag and have another look around, and I hear the tell tail sound of a 4stroke engine coming our way. Old mates back on dry land with a little mackerel, some coral trout and a trevaly in the cooler.

So, sandwiches for dinner and I climb back into my sorry excuse for a bed and hope to get a little sleep. But no.... Grandad and the fisherman stayed up all night talking about gold panning and cats getting eaten my dingos and other random things leaving me sleepless.

Sun up, so is everybody else. Old mate has gone back out fishing off the horizon while grandad and I wander aimlessly around in circles on the sand cay. When he finally returns, we pack up, load up, and start mackerel trolling. We got a few nice beasts and then it got boring as we put the troller lines away and got out the hand lines. I did manage to bring up a nice 5ft bronze wailer and to my horror the fisherman pulled out a lump of wood and started beating it repeatedly over the head until it stopped flipping, he then cut the line and let the dying shark float to the bottom. This happened a few more times with other sharks brought up, a couple of white tip reef sharks and heaps of black tips. It was painful watching this man bludgeon such a beautiful animal half to death just so it wouldn't take the fishing line again. Heaps more trout, lots of snapper (which were all thrown back for what ever reason possessed him to do it) and a few other random fish whose names were all muttered in creole.

Then finally the thing I'd been waiting to hear the the whole 48 hours was, "so ya ready to head back?" "YES!" I couldn't help myself, I just Blurted it out. I was so relieved to be back on Erub, or at least to be able to see Erub properly.

Back in the comforts of my island home, with a roast in the oven waiting for my girl to come on Facebook for my afternoon chat.

Finally out of the nightmare, and living the dream once again!

Yawo.