Hi again this time from Barcaldine. Almost have to stop and think where we are as moving from place to place quite quickly. Feel like I’d like to stop and overnight at each place we visit really!

Had the Corellas waking us at Boulia (is it really only yesterday morning!?) as at Alpurrurulum sunset and sunrise. Today though at Winton it was Galahs.

Had a lovely chat with Katrina and her partner Chris at Boulia. Unfortunately the Aboriginal Healthworker Lawrence was away. It seems that the Boulia Shire Council is really pro-active with the local Inidigenous population as far as employment goes and other aspects of peoples’ lives.

It also seems there’s a move of folk back to Boulia from Mt Isa because of the expenses, gambling and alcohol but this is creating housing issue at Boulia.

As we were leaving Boulia spotted quite a bit of water in the river to the east ( sorry don’t have the map in front of me to tell you it’s name) with Pelicans and lots of Black Cormorants.

Driving to Winton there is an extensive range of mesa or table-top shaped hills that are quite beautiful and originate from the ancient expansive sea that used to exist over much of the land. There is also a species of tree which like the mesas that it was said the only other place in the world that these occur is in South America!?

We didn’t get to meet with Jenny the Director of Nursing at Winton till this morning as she was tied up but met several other staff yesterday afternoon including Elsa who said one of the issues for health staff at Winton was a beach - quotable quote I reckon! As in other visits said I didn’t have a magic wand in my back pocket to oblige.

Learnt of another term alongside cultural awareness, sensitivity, safety, security, comfort, competence there’s responsiveness.

Last night Lenny and I yarned with Sue Witten a CRANA member and two agency nurses from New Zealand near Wellington and the West Coast of the South Island.

There is fantastic accommodation for staff at Winton which we have photos of and will post on the blog when we get to it. The gardener is also doing a fantastic job there too and at Muttaburra. Speaking of which I haven’t been to since 1988 with my ex and parents and at that stage there was a degree of angst I remember about the Kiwis and there use of wide-toothed combs for shearing. The sheep in the area have decreased somewhat since that time, being replaced by cattle. However as we walked into the pub for lunch with Karen the relieving nurse between Muttaburra and Boulia, there was a Kiwi joke shouted across from one side of the bar to the other. Then at Aramac not long after this, one of the residents of the lovely nearly 100 year old elevated hospital asked if we were there to work.

Can understand the question in view of the reliance on agency nursing staff. In my response he obviously picked up that I was a Kiwi and said in his German accent about the sign at a NZ airport asking fo the last peron leaving to turn off the lights! Agency staff is not the main issue confronting Aramac though, the main threat is the possible/probable closure of their hospital with the decision due in September. It like Hughenden and threats to Julia Creek and Charters Towers also aparrently they would be downgraded to single nurse post, primary health care facilities. Leaving there felt pretty down actually.

Did see quite a few Emus between Muttaburra, Aramac and Barcaldine as Karen at Muttaburra told us, and a mob of cattle with two women drovers including a young German. They were going from Tambo to Lake Nash! Didn’t get to ask the reason.

Don’t want to compromise people’s postions with regard to issues shared but will list these soon when I get a break in the traffic so to speak. Having very long days but just great to meet and yarn with folk.

Catch ya. Vicki

To see photo’s of Vicki & Lenny’s Trip : http://albums.crana.org.au/crana/vicki-lennys-trip-photos/