Is there a doctor on the Island?

Saibai Island has a modern Health Clinic which is managed by a wonderful medical team. A doctor visits for three days every few weeks and emergencies are airlifted to Thursday Island or Cairns by medevac. When we first arrived on Saibai Island we had flu injections, Japanese encephalitis vaccination  and had blood tests to check for diabetes, cholesterol, kidney and liver disease and Hep A & B immunity.  Everything came back fine.

After ten weeks on the island I found myself in need of medical assistance for an ear ache. After three trips to the Health Centre and getting sent away three times due to emergencies I was still self medicating on Advil and Panadol with no access to antibiotics or ear drops.

It is not something that can be helped in a remote location. The medical staff can work straight through the night with an emergency and then have to see patients the following day.  People line up in the waiting room and wait all day to see a nurse so me walking in at 3.30 pm after school to get my ear checked is wishful thinking. 

It is one of the downfalls of living and working on a remote Island. 

I am heading back down tomorrow morning to try again. Fingers crossed tonight is a peaceful night with no further emergencies and I can get some drops for my ear.

NSW's win in State of Origin last night did not go down well on Saibai !

The first snake we have seen on Saibai

The first snake we have seen on Saibai.

Walking back from the IBIS we noticed some people gathered around something on the ground. As we got closer we saw it was a small snake.

Helping out a neighbour....Saibai style

I was approached by two Papuan ladies who asked me if I could type out a letter for them. They handed me a neatly printed three page letter which was an application to a PNG college for a young man wanting to improve his employment prospects in Papua New Guinea.

I have my own computer, printer and paper on the island I so was happy to do it. They left me the letter and we agree to meet up the following day. 

When I delivered the typed letter the next day the ladies were very appreciative and handed me two mats and a basket as a gift to say thank you.  

I have a favourite lady from PNG who makes things for me for the PrePrep classroom. I ordered grass skirts from her to use in my class and to send to a Kindy class in Brisbane and a Year 1/2 class in Mackay.  When I collected them she gave me two long mats and two small mats for free.