I'm heading to Lajamanu again tomorrow, my second trip there. This time instead of a long drive, we're taking the mail plane and stopping at a couple of places on the way to deliver mail - the closest I'll ever get to being a postwoman I expect. If you like looking up places on the map, I think they're Top Springs and Kalkaringi. I'm expect this to be the smallest plane I've ever been on and the bumpiest flight (all three take offs and landings - aaagh!). Armed with some advice from Dad and help from a colleague who has shared with me her prescription anti-nausea drugs, I hope to ward of the anxiety and tummy wobbles enough to enjoy the scenery and take some pictures for my friends in blogland.

Last weekend I got a ride to Darwin, bussed (hmm, how to spell) my way around the place and bought a car. I stopped in briefly at the Parap Village Markets for a great coffee. Parap market is on every Saturday and is a feast of food and other good stuff for a Katherinite bereft of opportunity to buy market vegies. For anyone planning a visit to Darwin and/or me, i will take you there!

Intervention is mentioned a lot on the news in the last couple of weeks and that ABC doco is on this week (?thursday). Even within the Aboriginal community, some people are for and others against its continuation. I wonder about the millions of dollars spent in a 'crisis'/hurry with apparently little community consultation with Aboriginal residents or existing health services. And I wonder about sending in allied health workers with a narrow short term mandate. How affective can they be? Couldn't this money be spent to build the capacity of existing health services and in recruiting and retaining staff for the long term. We had a remote Aged and Disability conference in Katherine last week which brought together the other remote teams in the NT (Alice Springs, Darwin remote and East Arnhem). These teams including the one I'm in are soooo stretched and doing such good work: seeing clients of all ages, working with people with addictions and disabilities and travelling great distances. I find it so frustrating that a lack of people power (we are currently re-advertising 3 positions) stops us being able to do more or provide a more reliable service. Couldn't some of those millions of intervention dollars and people recruited, be channelled into services like these?! Even if the workers only stayed short term, they would still be really valuable and surely they would be more effective and better supported working within existing services that already know the communities and clients. Alas I don't think my plan will ever get through cos it aint much of an election winner!