Our Gym and recreation Area

This is our swimming pool. I do my laps every afternoon after work so I keep fit, the water is always lovely just the right temperature.

The athletics track if people are not that into swimming!!

The gym with the most modern and up to date equipment. The old work bench as you can see always gets a good work out.

Just another view of our gym equipment!!!!!

Had to throw this one in. Magnificent suturing on my part don't you think!!!!! Obviously need to spend more time in the gym :) By the way it's a pillow case!

The Clinic

This is the kids room it looks so much better than it is. The curtains are never changed and the sheets are lucky to be changed daily let alone in between each patient.

This is the woman's room there is also a men's room some people can't be in the same room as another person haven't quite worked all that out yet. But they will let you know so you just take them to another room.

This is TM she is an Aboriginal liaison. We give her names of people we need to see who haven't been in for a while or who need check ups and she'll go out with a driver and round them up and make sure they come into the clinic.

Just the corridor which is really a waste of space and not really used for anything. In the photos it's deceiving everything looks so clean and there is dust and dirt everywhere.

The main room we see people. It has 2 beds in here so this is the room that for some reason it's normally between men and women if they see someone in here for some reason or other they can't be in same room so they just leave or ask to go to another room, still haven't worked it out, but I'll find out before I leave.

Willy Willy

There are so many things to tell everyone and I wish I had a photo of this but on my way out here I drove through 3 willy willies!!!!! They were only small and went across the road so fast but were amazing to see. Willy Willy is thought to be derived from the Yindjibardi or a neighboring language. In aboriginal myths, willy willies represent spirit forms, often quite scary spirits. Parents may warn children if they misbehave, a spirit will emerge from a spinning vortex of dirt and chastise them.

They are very similar to tornados and can be quite big often picking up pieces of tin sending it flying in the air, so obviously can be quite dangerous.

The ones I saw were baby ones just spinning dirt and leaves in a circle flying across the road and off into the bush!!!!!!

Prisoners

Today I had to go to the local gaol to assess the prisoners who had been there for 24hrs to make sure they were fit to be in police custody......now that was interesting. 

Many Aboriginals have Diabetes one had a raised sugar who hadn't been diagnosed. I checked with the doc when I got back to work and said I told them they should call into the clinic when they can, so the doc was happy with that. I rang the police station just to relay this they said not to worry as they were being sent away for a long time and would be checked by a doctor when they arrived in prison!!!!! 

I was alone in a very small room with these people thinking it was just minor offenses. Sure the officer stuck his head in every now and again, but really they did seem harmless but obviously not!!!!!!!!

They were very pleasant to me though. So that was my 3rd day on the job.

Airport Run

Today has been very interesting indeed. Starting with yesterday I had to call round to 4 people's houses to tell them to be ready at 7.30am this morning as I would be picking them up to take them to the airport so they could be taken to Katherine for x-rays.

So I had to get up early this morning and grab the work car and off I go. I stop at each house and bip and call out not one person came out, they all stayed in bed amazing. Oh and by now it's too late the govt has already paid for the plane and the seats!!!!!!!!

Also you can't get out because of the numerous dogs. Each home has anything between 5-10 dogs and not all are friendly so we have to stay in the car.

Our Clinic

Our airport huge planes and a very modern dirt runway!!

This is the front of our clinic apparently we're in line to get a new one, will try and get some photos of the inside infection control not quite the same as home!!
                                    Another shot of the clinic

The Town Lajamanu

This area is forbidden to woman of any colour it's called the men's business area, initiations and ceremonies are held in here.

Same area showing the sign that says not to enter. If caught entering may be banned from community or big meeting of the community elders is held.

This is called the sorry area. When someone dies the community can come and sit here for days to mourn.

Our ambulance!!!!!!!! very old and dusty always have to have 2 people go out as the trolley is extremely difficult to get in without anyone on it, let alone with a pt on it. So the staff always encourage the family to bring the pt to the clinic.

The ambulance again which I also got to drive today..........well I backed it back into it's spot

Still The Home

The kitchen before I unpacked.

Before I unpacked, I didn't bring much did i?????

My New Home

This is my bedroom for the next 3 weeks the girl who is normally here is going on holidays and the guy next door leaves in 3 weeks so I have to move next door in 3 weeks. So that's something to look forward to as there isn't anything else to do!!!!

Oh yeh the flat tyre I can't change because they put the wrong nuts just on this tyre, when I got the 4 new tyres. All the other tyres have the correct nuts just the flat one has the wrong one. The thingy is to big so I can't undo them it just spins in the breeze. Glad you are all laughing at my expense yet again!!!!!!!!!!

My front yard and beautiful garden that I will continue the upkeep.

More like home, shame I'm moving soon.

My lounge.

The Road to Lajamanu

The photos are a bit back to front but this was the sunset obviously much more beautiful to view in real life.

The bullocks were everywhere. They would just stop in the middle of the road and stare at you, but if you just tooted your horn they ran a mile.

This was the ROAD to Lajamanu approximately 100km's of it, very bumpy and uneven in places. See how isolated it is every now and again you would see a car pulled up on the side and a few aboriginals just sitting on the side of the road. They would give me a big wave and a smile as I drove past amazing.

Just stopping for a break about 2 hrs into the trip.

This is the Buntine Highway, only one lane and when the 53 meter road train comes along you just have to pull over and get out of there way, because they certainly won't move for you!!!!!!!

!st bush hat

Just thought I'd throw this one in. My 1st bush hat courtesy of my sister Dale very atttractive don't you think!! No flies on me mate!

Katherine

Now I'm not sure if you can see this map but this is what nearly sent me home. Right in the middle about an inch below the yellow is Katherine. Now see the names on the side with the red lines going across these are the aboriginal communities Katherine West health (KWHB) service. See the very last line pointing to the middle of nowhere that's Lajamanu!!!!!!. No water for about 100km. It's on the edge of the desert yippee!!!!!

This is the view from my motel in Katherine been too tired to go for a swim but how nice does it look!!!!

Daly Waters

This is Daly Waters pub, with all the bras hanging everywhere, there were also plenty of shirts, hats and ID's of people from all over the world. We had barramundi for tea which was beautiful.
This was the entertainment area, would you believe our room was directly behind this with no tele nothing. So mum and I went to bed with the music belting through the very thin wall.
This sign speaks for itself really!!!!!!

Crossing the Border

This photo finally crossing the Northern Territory border. This was all there was nothing but this sign. Check out the land in the background. And you wouldn't believe the amount of road kill on the road dead roos everywhere even wild pigs too. The circling birds overhead were always a warning there was something up ahead on the road, but for some reason once in the Northern territory it wasn't as bad. But outback Queensland every few meters a dead roo, you would think once they saw a few of their mates go they'd learn!!!!!!!! 

Mt Isa

This is the drive very boring, very straight road. The land is very dry but up ahead is the Great Dividing Range. This is the most substantial mountain range in Australia and the 4th longest in the world. It stretches more than 3,500km (2,175 mile) from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of New South Wales, then to Victoria and turning west, before finally fading into the central plain of the Grampians in western Victoria. Just a little bit of history for you.
More very dry barren land. Again bit hard to see but the Great Diving Range ahead in the distance
Coming into Mt Isa a big mining town it looked really pretty the photo doesn't do it justice but there is a lot of pollution and I'm sure a lot of cancer in later life!!

Tambo

We only made it to Warialda the 1st night due to the little mishap in the forest!!!! The 2nd night we stayed in a place called Tambo. 1 motel and 2 pubs and that was about it. So we go to the 2nd pub to order a $20 pizza (which was amazing) the publican says where ya from luv? I say Newcastle he knows Newcastle well, so whereabouts ....Merewether..I know Merewether what Street? I tell him and he knows the people who use to live in my house!!!!!!!!!!!!
So he then rings the people back in Newcastle and he was right. Also For those from Newcastle his name was Andy McNaughton brother of the X Lord Mayor John McNaughton AMAZING very small world!!

Goondawindi

Drove through Goodawindi (think that's how you spell it) and there is this massive sign with all the different km's to all different areas over Australia. Very disheartening as it showed how far we still had to go. Mum was being a trooper staying a wake keeping me awake.

The Right Forest

Same day headed into another forest this time actually on the correct route same type of area except a sealed 2 lane road much easier to drive on. Still deserted and out of the blue a little red light so we stop and wait.......and wait....... I get out take a photo nothing happens. Finally the light turns green so off we go still not sure why we had to stop.

The Forest

What a star

After Jade competed in Taree and making a final we headed off on our big adventure at 12.15pm. My brother in law kindly printed off directions from the net turn for turn all the way to Darwin but there were no town names. So I put Moree into my Garmin (Navman) and it sent us off to Lansdowne and the Comboyne State Forest. As we started climbing a dirt road extremely narrow only just wide enough for my car I had to put it into 4WD there were land slides massive trees uprooted (please stop laughing) but we kept going. Then........it says recalculating make u turn so somehow I found a spot to do this.

But we continued after some time a repeat recalculating make u turn well I was now on the verge of panic and tears then my sister Rosemary rings and I say I can't talk cause I was too upset when I told her she laughed A LOT!!!!!!! This mountain had shear drops and on our way back there was  a sign that said road closed, funny that!!!!!!!!

Anyway we turned around and headed back to Taree and at 2.30pm headed off on our adventure and no there are no photos!!!!!!!!

So that was day 1 Phew what a day 

Night Out

We had a great night out at the beaches Hotel on Saturday the 5th of September with friends and family. There were many laughs including walking wine glasses courtesy of Shirl, Carol and myself. 

Then the dance floor little bit hard to explain but obviously the young boys on the dance floor had had far more to drink than myself as they certainly enjoyed dancing with me!!! Bit of a you had to be there but much fun and lots of laughing had by all.

And now the count down begins 2 shifts left and only 3 sleeps left! I'll keep you posted

Fel