New year, new life and new challenges

After two fabulous weeks away for the Christmas break, I felt refreshed and enthusiastic about my last month in Oenpelli. I flew from Darwin to Oenpelli in a Cessna Caravan aircraft and as usual I asked to sit in the cockpit. It was awesome to learn so much about flying this machine. I learnt about pressure systems, altitude, speed, navigation, take-offs and landings. I followed our route on screen, listened to traffic control in the head phones and assisted the pilot with safety checks. I'm pretty much ready to fly solo I think! 

Exhilarated from my flying experience I was a bit flat when I realised my lift from the airport hadn't arrived. It was 38 degrees, there was no shelter and my groceries were perishing with every minute that passed. Luckily the council mechanic drove by and offered me a lift. This is when I knew I was back in Gunbalanya. I jumped into a rusty ute with my toothless driver "Gringo" and his kelpie "Millie". I tilted my head to see out the broken windscreen while the dog drooled all over my French Connection pants. He drove me to my donga and I lifted my bags out of the tray now all covered in red dirt. I was back!   

The wet season has definitely arrived and Gunbalanya has been experiencing monsoonal rains. The sound of rain on the corrugated iron roof is often quite comforting but when raindrops the size of rocks pound the roof above your head; the ambience is not as pleasant. The thunder wakes me from my sleep and the lightning comes around my black curtains to light up my room like night-club strobes. I’m not usually prone to anxiety but sometimes I have to turn the light on, take a few breaths and reassure myself that I'm okay. My donga is elevated on stilts and supposedly “cyclone proof”; therefore flood risk is small and I shouldn’t blow away like the opening scene from the Wizard of Oz.

"Small waterfall"

The transition to the wet season has seen a dramatic change in the landscape. The red dust has become fertile soil for long, luscious, emerald green grass. Waterfalls are flowing with the “small waterfall” being only three kilometres from my door. We went swimming there on the weekend and it was beautiful and peaceful. My ornithology skills are improving as I recognise more of the diverse birdlife up here and with every rain more billabongs, creeks and puddles start to appear in and around the community. Locals are fishing for barramundi by the side of the road!

You could think that Gunbalanya was paradise; but that would be dangerous and foolish. The crocodiles are breeding and looking to claim their territory. They migrate between billabongs and pools sometimes via community roads. Also breeding are a variety of snakes (including king browns) as well as millions of terrible cane toads. The wet weather brings swarms of insects and I have discovered that I develop large welts and hives after NT mosquito bites. They look hideous but are thankfully not very painful.

Tuesday mornings at FAFT 

The profile of the patients at the clinic has changed as well. Itchy insect bites and scabies lesions are turning into nasty boils and abscesses. Walking bare foot through stagnant, muddy puddles leads to ugly foot infections. Plus a combination of factors such as locals walking all day in wet clothes, and sleeping indoors during monsoon weather, means that the number of respiratory infections are on the rise. But perhaps the most dangerous and threatening issue during the wet season has nothing to do with the animals, insects or the environment- it’s boredom! Isolated by road from everywhere outside of a few kilometres, the people here have little to do. As a result substance abuse and violence have become big problems. We’re hopeful that now school has returned some of this will improve.

Poster made with the mothers at FAFT

Speaking of school, this week saw me return to weekly education sessions at FAFT (“Families As First Teachers”). FAFT aims to give children the best start to life. It is run from a family centre where parents and their children (aged 0 – 3) can have morning tea and lunch and parents learn about caring and nurturing their children. Every Tuesday I go for a few hours in the morning and talk about a health related topic. We’ve covered topics like scabies, healthy lungs, brain development and “Well Children’s Checks”. At first the women were very quiet and reluctant to get involved. However after a few weeks they became less shy, started asking questions and now even suggest the topic for each week. The children are so friendly and affectionate. In Aboriginal culture parenting tasks are performed by many members of the family- siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great aunts etc. I think this often makes local children very trusting of others, unafraid of strangers and actively curious about the people around them. It’s been really lovely getting to know the families at FAFT. It’s given me a real interest in health promotion and education partly because it helps establish rapport with families so that when they are in need they can come to you as someone they know and trust.