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Ampilatwatja Adventure
  • Maree Crawford
  • Maree Crawford

Ampilatwatja Adventure

A 34-day adventure by Maree Read more
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  • Trip start
    February 16, 2018
    Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Jimmy's houseJimmy's house - the Irene-May

    Flinders to Melbourne

    February 17, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Flinders to Launie to Melbourne
    Today I'm heading out to go on a nursing locum placement to Ampilatwatja (pronounced Um -bladder-watch ) for 4 weeks. I'm working with an agency called RAHC (Remote Area Health Corps) set up by the government to help health centres in the Northern Territory. Most of these clinics are Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
    But today I just get to Melbourne and stay at Mantra Tullamarine all expenses paid by RAHC.
    Jimmy and Lauren have just moved to Essendon so I go and visit their house. Very nice    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Looking out window in DarwinFamily in 4 time zones

    Melbourne to Darwin

    February 18, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Off to Darwin for 2 days orientation. I'm staying at Travelodge Mirambeena Resort. Very nice. Hot humid but not too bad. Air conditioning in the room so very comfortable, even cold.
    I get in in the morning so chill in the afternoon
    Steve is now in in New Zealand on a hunt so our family is spread over 4 time zones now    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler

    First orientation day

    February 19, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today is Cultural training. Also doing this are Trish, Alison and Laura-all dental assistants. Trish is going to Oenpelli, Alison to Katherine and Laura to Port Keats.
    Olga is our indigenous cultural training facilitator and she is lovely.Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Flying out of Darwin
    DarwinComing into Alice SpringsA tinge of green from recent rains

    Darwin to Ampilatwatja via Alice Springs

    February 21, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    Today is a big travel day. I have to be on the 7 am flight from Darwin to Alice Springs. I get into Alice about 9 am where a driver from RAHC meets me at the airport. We then go to Woolworths for me to do a quick grocery shop and pick up my Remote Educator - an experienced RAN (Remote Area Nurse) who will come out with me for a few days.
    We then drive 4 hours to Ampilatwatja along the Sandover Highway, the first 100 k is narrow bitumen then a wide dirt road. There has been a bit of rain recently so there is quite a bit of greenery for this area and a few wild flowers on the side of the road.
    We arrive about 2 pm. We arrive just as the RFDS crew arrive to retrieve a patient. They work on the pt for another 4 hours before they leave. Therefore most of the staff are busy and have no time for me. One nurse is free but busy doing clinic consults so I'm thankful that I have Geraldine with me so she can do a bit of orientating with me. Riko, the business manager gives a tour and a general orientation of the clinic and the town. I think "What have I walked into?"
    And then guess what? They put me (and Geraldine) as first on call the first night I'm there without knowing anything! Thankfully, we don't get any call outs but I am interrupted at night by phonecalls from Alice Springs Hospital ICU calling about the pt flown down there. At 5 am they ring again to say the pt died at 4.30. I ring Soli the nurse manger to tell him and he and their Aboriginal Health worker go and tell the relatives. Welcome to outback nursing!    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Town map

    Sorry Business

    February 22, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today it is decided to close the clinic except for emergency cases for respectful cultural reasons. The pt who died was an Elder. In the morning I get time to do the i-stat training so I can use the machine that does point of care blood tests. There are a couple of children that are sick and need to be seen so I get to do those consults with the help of my RE. It's very confronting as I am not a paediatric nurse so unfamiliar with really sick kids, looking in ears etc. The CARPA manual is the bible we stick to for examinations and treatment without a doctors consult - it also tells you when to get advice from a doctor. That could be the GP at the clinic during work hours or the DMO via phone at Alice Springs.
    At 5 pm we get a "frequent flyer, worry kid" who is sick. The GP thinks she needs to go to Alice Springs so she talks to the DMO and they decide to fly her and her mother down. We have to wait until 5 am in the end as it is non-urgent and there are 3 sick flyouts to do from Tennant Creek first. We try to get a bit of sleep in between calls through the night about the latest ETA etc. Just before the plane comes in we have to do a strip check in the ambulance and then get the mum and babe from her home as she decided to go home to get some sleep.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    The Clinic
    Wild donkeys everywhere

    First fly out

    February 23, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    As I said yesterday, we had a long drawn out flyout. There is a RAHC rule that you must have a 9 hour break between a call out and starting work so we sleep and rest in the morning and go to work at 2.30 when the clinic re-opens for the afternoon. Work hours are 8 -12.30, then 2.30 -5.30, a 2 hour lunch break. 1st on call takes the phone home at lunch.
    We get to do a few more consults then go home and rest easy as we aren't on call tonight!    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Nurse Jeannie and clinic dog, Marley

    Weekend

    February 25, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    We are 1st on call on Saturday and 2nd on call Sunday. We get 2 consults Saturday that go home. On Sunday, Geraldine goes home at lunch time and I'm flying solo. As Geraldine leaves, Jeannie, the 1st on call calls me in to help her with a pt, who ends up getting flown down to Alice with the retrieval team. 3 fly outs in 3 days!
    43 degree heat and hot wind dries you to a chip if you forget your glasses, hat and drink bottle.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Kitchen
    My loungeroom, watching Winter OlympicsMy house

    My place

    February 26, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    History
    Freehold title leases were granted by the Federal Government around 1910 to establish cattle stations on Alyawarr land in an attempt to bring white settlers and development to the centre of Australia. The land’s traditional owners were coerced to move from culturally significant sites and lost rights to hunting grounds to make way for grazing cattle.
    The resultant Ammaroo Station became a gathering place for the Alywarr people by the sixties and seventies where many worked as drovers and fencers. In 1976 under the Native Titles Act, Alywarr families were granted a small plot at an area known then as Honeymoon Bore, about 10 km from Ammaroo Station. This small settlement is what has now developed in to the community of Ampilatwatja.
    In the 1990’s the Traditional Owners of the area gained small excisions from the local pastoral lease to continue their life on their land. Ampilatwatja is the cultural heartland of the Alywarr nation. There are three outstations with the main ones being Irrultja, 60 km away, and Atnwengerrp, 40 km away.
    With few exceptions, all the Aboriginal
    people living at Ampilatwatja belong to the Alywarr language group. Their country extends over some 17,000 km2 and through the pastoral properties of Ammaroo, Murray Downs, Elkedra, Derry Downs, Utopia, Lake Nash and Urandangie. Alywarr is further divided into a number of smaller units called “countries”. The Amperiatwatye people are from Aherrenge country which spans three cattle stations, Ammaroo, Derry
    Downs and Elkedra.
    There are approximately 500 residents. There is a General Store that provides basic groceries and provides territory bush orders, but no takeaway food available.
    The Ampilatwatja Bombers AFL side play on the local ground, Windy Hill, and travel extensively through the region during the AFL season.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Waiting to get into the clinic! Ambulance in background

    Learning lots

    March 1, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    This week Soli and Jeannie, the 2 nurses here, decide not to put me on call this week so I can concentrate on how things are done NT style without the added stress of possible call-outs. I appreciate that very much. Now that they have recovered their sleep from a busy week they are very friendly and super supportive. I am learning a lot.
    Jeannie is an American but been in Australia since a child. She has a missing daughter in America however and she spends as much time as she can over there looking for her. In the mean time she gets together as much money as she can by working remote to fund these trips. She knows Kirsten who works on Flinders Island, they have worked together in remote placements before. Small world!
    Soli (Solomon) is originally from Africa and has worked at Ampilatwatja for 3 years.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler

    Half way there

    March 4, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Soli now has me doing on call but "buddying up". He's certainly looking after me, and protecting his patients too no doubt. Still learning lots.
    They are building a new clinic next door to my house
    Should be finished in a few months, they're working on it every day.
    Outside my house is also a flock of finches that drink from the waterhole and perch on the power lines.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    ED roomMy consult room with Bombers scarf I brought with me. Had a few comments ☺

    Health issues

    March 6, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Here the main issues are scabies. STI's, chest infections, ear infections and rheumatic heart disease. A lot of the work is also chronic disease management -diabetes, renal disease and cardiac.
    Mental health is also an issue. Day 3 of my being here there was a near hanging. She was saved, flown down to Alice and is back in the community. Yesterday Julie, a mental health worker came to stay with me for 4 days.
    They have many visiting specialists. We've had a diabetes educator, audiologists. This week, the physio and a cardiac educator and mental health worker. In a few weeks there will be podiatrist and ophthalmologist.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Looks like rain easing. Also good shot of communities out here

    Cut off due to flooding

    March 9, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    No-one is getting in or out. We were supposed to get another nurse today but she can't get in. The rain has eased up today though. Dr Tan left yesterday while the roads were open, she was supposed to leave tomorrow. Hopefully everyone stays wellRead more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler

    My art and theirs

    March 10, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌫 21 °C

    Ampilatwatja artists are famous for their different and distinctive style of painting. They cost thousands. They have an art centre I went to to find a patient but didn't get a chance to take a look. The black background painting here is one that is hung up in my house. The doors in the Health Centre on a previous page is their art too. One lady brought me in one to "look at" aka sell it, it was beautiful but too big.
    I jumped onto Artists of Ampilatwatja website and bought one which will be posted home.

    While I have some time off I'm keeping myself occupied with some simple longstitch that I'll frame and sell. I'm also knitting Dan a jumper, it's growing quickly out here!    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    The new clinic's coming alongMr DonkeyStill a bit of water aroundA bit of green in my yard now

    Last work day today

    March 13, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Last night I got to help out with a rare type of presentation. Even though Rheumatic Heart Disease is rife in the indigenous population, it is unusual to come across an exacerbation of Acute Rheumatic Fever. A young girl came in with chest pain, joint pain and initially a type of shaking tremor called Sydenham's chorea. Obs and ECG was fine so after talking to RFDS they decided to give her panadol and brufen for the night, she could go home and they flew her out this morning to Alice Springs for review. Jeannie said a lot of nurses don't actuallly get to see this, she's worked remote for many years and seen 10, some see none she said. She says I should feel lucky I got to experience one. I do, on my first placement and all!!
    I've learnt a lot, got used to looking into ears, big and small, giving IM antibiotics, getting more comfortable with sick kiddies, making up medications in Webster packs, talking to RFDS . As well as my usual - giving vaccinations, taking bloods, health assessments. Knowing how to use Communicare, the clinical software program (thanks to FIAAI 😊) was a huge advantage too. People even asked me for tips!    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler

    Bombers at Windy Hill, with a difference

    March 14, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    They play AFL at Ampilatwatja. They are the Ampilatwatja Bombers! When I packed, I packed one of Jimmy's Essendon bombers scarves and had it hanging in my consult room. I forgot and left it there, sorry Jimmy 😕

    The flat, hard dusty oval is called the Windy Hill Oval 😅😅 no hill but at times windy. (Windy Hill oval is Essendon's home ground). Their emblem is the same as Essendon Bombers too, I don't know but assume they are probably linked with them through the Northern Territory Football League.

    The scarf caused a bit of a chatting point. The people love their footy and like us different people go for different teams. I saw Essendon, Hawthorn, Richmond, Carlton and Port Power represented.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    My chariot awaits
    Ampilatwatja airstripBye bye AmpilatwatjaThe road into town and the stripIn the middle of nowhereAt first I thought this was dirty water from the rain but nope, it's sand

    Up, up and away

    March 14, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Time to leave. I finish cleaning house and wash the sheets and towels and leave them to hang. There's no proper cleaner so you have to do it before you go.
    After that I go to the clinic and add something I forgot to some patient notes I did yesterday, drop off my excess food so someone else can have it. I say my goodbyes and yes, I reckon I'll come back later in the year. I wave to some, shake hands with some and hug Jeannie and Soli. I felt quite a bond with Jeannie and I think she did with me (she's 67 but doesn't look it) and she said we should have a stint together at Ali Curung. That's another community up the road closer to Tennant Creek. One of her girlfriends is out there now.

    When I go to shake Warren's hand he pulls me in for a hug which I'm surprised but honoured at. One of the locals expressing his acceptance and gratitude 😊👍 Maybe I did fit in. Warren is a local young fella who works as an Aboriginal Health Worker and community liaison person. He was always happy and smiling, liked a chat, and a thumbs up. He's maybe in his 30's but is already a grandfather. They start families so early here! Another thing I kept getting shocked at- they look so old for their age, someone who I would expect to be in their 60's or 70's is younger than me! Lack of nutrition and therefore chronic disease, smoking plus time in the sun will do that.

    Anyway, I take the Hilux out to the airstrip where Pauline the nurse, who left when I arrived, comes back on the plane. I give her the hilux and her donga keys and get on the plane with my luggage and a big box of pathology specimens to take to Alice. We have lots of specimens to get to Path as we haven't been able to drive them to Alice for a week because of the closed roads.

    As we fly out of Ampilatwatja in a four seater plane I see how small the town is and how it really is in the middle of nowhere. I do feel I'm destined to be back.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    A community just north of Alice ? which one
    First view of Alice SpringsA bit of greenery on the ridge after the rain

    Into Alice

    March 14, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    It's greening up quite a bit from the recent rains. Long straight roads criss cross the immense desert. I see the odd station homestead, aboriginal communities and sometimes a well or mustering area. At one point the pilot points out a "secret American base". Apart from the well known Pine Gap base with its white mushroom looking buildings very close to Alice Springs there are 2 others. We fly over one of thoseRead more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Where our patients ended up. Great support
    The GapThe Ghan Museum and Kenworth Truck museum from the airSolar panel farm in AliceComing into land at AliceThanks NTAS for getting me out

    Touch down

    March 14, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Samarah from RAHC picks me up from the airport. The charter plane stops right beside the RFDS hangar. That felt quite fitting as that's where our patients end up when we fly them out.
    We then go find Western Diagnostics in Todd Mall to drop off the box of specimens. After that it's to Double Tree Hilton Hotel!Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    Lamb wrap and fresh salad for lunchI liked this simple decorationView from the hall wayBig juicy scotch filletView out my window

    Luxury!!!!

    March 14, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Wow! I'm feeling so spoilt! From windy dirt and dust to this! Double Tree Hilton Hotel (paid for by RAHC) feels like indulgence but I feel I deserve it. So, I have a nice lunch of lamb wrap- the fresh crisp salad!!! And a REAL coffee! Heaven
    What to do in the afternoon? I could go re-explore Alice Springs but no I decide I need water so I relax by their lovely pool for a few hours. I have a couple of dips and feel the tension and dust wash off.
    For tea I go back to the same restaurant for a big juicy steak.    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    I bought this one of their website

    Artists of Ampilatwatja

    March 14, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 7 °C

    "The Artists of Ampilatwatja community was established in 1999 near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The work produced by the artists is recognisably distinct from other Aboriginal artistic communities, due to the application of fine dots and the often bright and child-like figurative depiction of the land.

    Most of the artists paint Arreth, which translates to ‘strong bush medicine’, demonstrating a deep connection to country. A veritable source of life, the land has provided and sustained Alyawarr people for generations, as every plant and animal has a vital role to play within the ecological system. The paintings pay homage to the significance and use of traditional bush medicine, allowing an insight into their community. Yet underneath the iridescent surfaces, there is an underlying sense that there is more to these landscapes than meets the eye. In keeping with the religious laws, the artists reveal only a small amount of knowledge to the uninitiated. The esoteric information that is held sacred to these artists and their people is concealed from the public and layered underneath the common visual narrative, masked by the delicate layered dots of the painting. The many levels of interpretation permit artists to present their art to an often culturally untutored public without compromising its religious nature. Artists talk of two broad levels of interpretation, the “inside” stories which are restricted to those of the appropriate ritual standing, and the “outside” stories which are open to all." From their website    Read more

  • Maree CrawfordAmpilatwatja AdventureTraveler
    The mighty River ToddLooking up Barrett Drive

    Pamper or essential treatment?

    March 15, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I got a sleep in! Didn't have to check out until midday so went back to Saltbush for breakfast. Then checked out and cloaked baggage to walk down the road to Lavish Spa at Lasseters Casino for a sugar skin scrub and massage. After a summer in the sun and a month in the desert my skin was dry and scaly. I also had a sore lower back and always tight in the shoulders.
    Well! My therapist did a great job. My skin is smooth again. She near tortured my knots but they're feeling looser.    Read more

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