FLYING NURSE HAS UNIQUE ROUND

Chronicle (Levin), 11 February 1947, Page 2

FLYING NURSE HAS UNIQUE ROUND

O Australia's only iiying nurse, '35-year-oid bister Aiyra filaiu-h, has what is perliaps ihe most unique "round" iu ihe world, it covers 28,000 square nuies — an area uearly twice that of Denniark. Sister Hlaneli is attaclied to the PniKen llill (New Soutli Wales; braiiv.ii - of the 1 lying lloctor Service, wliicli takes medical aid to lonely settiemcncs in Australia's outback. The medical staif of the Broken Hill base comprises a doctor and Sister blanch. x'hey have at their disposai two bragon iiapide aircraft, eacii with ' acconimodatiou tor live patients in ■ adclition lo tlie doctor aud piiot. Vvbthiu the 600-mile radius over ' wluch slie operates, Sister Blanch eajcounters desert, timbered country and ' tlie and, sweltering "gibber " plains tnat f orui uiu torrain of mucli of 111land AustraiHi. buruig the wet season, tlie torrentiai downpours turn these areas into vast lakes, and tlie dry .. a.ercourses into roaring rivers, i J-ii Lius land, where summer temperalures soar up to 113 degrees 111 tlie shade, live Austraiia s contemporary p.o.:ev.rs — slieep aild cattle taucliers who, by lighling puconipronivis.ng ; uaiure, ua\ c .ipened up tlie n.arginai ; lands in tlie lieart of the continent. j It is to tlieso people (often separi ated from eivilisation by liundreds oi' i miles; that the flying nurse brings aid and comfort when accidout or disease tlireatens their lives, , Deep XJnderstanding, Besides her medicuJ trauiing Sister Blanch Uas a deep understanding of tlie everyday proOk-ms confronting the settleis. Siie gainud tliis understand nig when she uas a uursing sister with ine Australian Hikuai klission Service, a Presbyieiian Churcli organisatioii that operates nursing hospitals iii tlie interior. , Sne left the rnission 111 1941 to Del come a nurse with the Austraiiau Army, -and saw service 111 Austraiia aud the | Soiomons. She was appointed to nei present positiou in 194b after tlie Ply1 lug JJocior Service decided to employ a flying nurse. kiost oi' tlivj settlemeiits servod by tlie Iiying doctor and nurse possess ' pedai u-messc/Lr.ui.siuitting and receiviug sets Kiiown as " 1 ransceivei s, " \\ iiich have been developed to meet the j needs of tlie service., j \\ ith tiiese sets settlers niaintain ; coiiininnKatiou wun tlie service baso. i Y\ iien help is needod a call is sent out; anj syi.ipioiiis uescrined to eitlie'r the 1 doctor or Sister BJaiieh. If it is a case : uaich requires their pres'ence, instrue- ! ti./ns are given for preliminary atteii- I tuni to "the paneni until they arrive. Perliaps two hours later and several • I11.il. u-eu taiies from Broken llill, the' iiying doctor s aerophuie lands at soine j lonejy cattle • station, a , symbol of j security to tlie palient and his fainilv. : Emergencv 'operations are perl'ornied ' 011 ihe spot, aud if tlie patieut cannot : endure tlie air journey to hospital ; Sister Blanch remains. Poot, Horseback, Coach. Another iniportant tnougn less dra- ' matic aspect. of Sister Blanch 's work is ' in her visits to settlers who h.ive tio 1 ' ' transceivers " or accessiole tandmg lieids for' the flying doctor 's aero- } plane. Prevention rather than cure is the j aim of tne service, and by foot, liorse- i baek, or nnui coach Sister Blaucii ' visits these isolated t'amilies to adviso ! 011 liygiene and infant welfare and to ' diagnose iliness before it reaches an j acuto state. Uuring her twelve months of con- : tact with settlers lacking tlie norma] * means of commmiication she has on- i countered epic cases of fortitude - and 1 courage 011 the part of patients and ■ their trieuds in getting a message to j tlie fiviug doctor. There is one case 011 reccfrd of an ! aborigine who walked 14U "miles in little more tluin 24 hours to get word lo the nearest " transceiver " that tlie flying doctor aud. nurse were needed. Dressed in jungle grecns and carry mg her bedroll and case of equipmeiit, Sister Blanch is a w.elci)ine . flgure to tlie lonely women of the outback, who seldom meet a white woniau. To them "Sister" is a triend who uot only listens to their problems, but, most iniportant of all, can also often offei sound constructive solutions to them.