WORLD’S LARGEST PARISH.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 October 1927, Page 1

WORLD’S LARGEST PARISH.

AUSTRALIAN INLAND MISSION SYDNEY, Sept. 22.

Early next year Australia, will have two real “sky pilots.” They are the Rev. James Flynn and the Rev. J. Andrew Barber, of the Australian Inland Mission, under the auspices of which aerial medical services will be established in another six months with the co-operation, for a start, of existing commercial aviation services in Queensland. Afterwards the mission hopes to have its own aeroplanes. These two clergymen have the largest parish in the world—the whole of Australia. Mr Flynn is an old-estab-lished incumbent, and all his parish knows him. Mr Barber was appointed only last March, hut since then ho has done his best to learn his way about his incumbency. TRKK OF 7600 MILES. Tn June last Mr Barber sot out on a 7600 miles trek to do a “little parish work,” as he puts it. accompanied by Dr George Simpson. As a preliminary they went across Australia by motor car from Adelaide to Darwin, a distance of 2095 miles, calling at the institutions under the mission’s care—first the hostel at Oodnadatta. then the hospital at Alice Springs, 380 miles away, and third, the hospitallit Mawanboy, another 700 miles away. TTN HOSPITAL.

Iff Barber found two nurses busy at their little tin hospital, at Marranbov, 300 miles away from any point of settlement. They had two patients. One had been brought in with a broken leg by an expedition of aborigines headed by one of the nurses, who, with the aid of a railway camp doctor and a specialist on the end of a telegraph line 3000 miles away, had mended the fracture in the man’s leg. The other patient had broken, an ankle by falling off his horse, and lie had been compelled to crawl several miles with his damaged limb in tow before he found aid. Both patients were recovering when Mr Barber visited them.

11 ARAVIN LEPERS. At Darwin. Mr Barber and Dr Simpson spent some time in investigating the condition of lepers, and then they started on a 1000 miles trail to> the South West. During this trip they met a. party of naked aborigines, who asked that one of their tribe, who had been speared, should he at tended. When, after a few day’s treatment, the injured native was well on the road to recovery. the blacks showed their thanks by performing a corroboree. At the end of their 1000 miles trek, Mr Barber and Dr Simpson made their way to Newcastle Waters in the centre of the continent, and thence across the Barkley Downs to Camooweel and Clor.curry.