Sounds far more dramatic than it actually is, but maintaining a steady supply of tasty comestibles, is not cheap. There are three shops in Galliwin'ku; four if one counts the Elcho fuel shop, and fishing tackle store, five if you count the shop attached to the cultural centre(the last being the only Elcho entity mentioned on TripAdvisor)
Bottle of cordial $5.95.
There is the Buhtan supermarket, not pictured here
The Tucker Box .Attached to the tucker Box is a fast food window. But not game to go there.
and the Alpa Store
We would liken these stores to a very small IGA sized Aldi store. IGA as there is no pretence at fancy decoration, or slick advertising, very utilitarian, and Aldi because there is little if any choice.
Those not well warned, and who fail to use a substantial amount of their 13 kg weight limit for food, will find it was quite expensive.
For example:
Milk 2 l full fat-$6.50
Four pieces of fruit on a tray ...$6.00
300 g packet of chips $6.5
Frozen chocolate cake $91.00
Baked beans $3.55 a can
Kangaroo rump $18.85 and tail $13.65
Ice cream $10.00 for 2 litres.
But the biggest travesty is a standard pack of TIm Tams. $9.00
For that price they can afford to stack them upside down.
Some of the high cost can be attributed to all food being brought via barge, and there are no freight specific aircraft. But surely there just may be a touch of profiteering...the three stores have a monopoly, and there are no farmers markets, restaurants or Maccas within 500 ks of here. Choices are limited, but even with that limited choice,the observed choice made by a number of the local people seems to tend towards unhealthy $3.50 can of Coke, or chips....not many veggies going out.
Our food, generally speaking, is veggies, and pasta. Some of the food we brought included some dehydrated mince, the legendary salami, ground coffee, pesto, some jelly, and other spicy foods. Getting to the supermarket as soon as possible after the barge has arrived, and before the balanda teachers is the key to optimum food quality 
On call Wednesday night. NJC was supposed to be the ride-along with one of the new arrivals, and an AHW. After four patients between 4.00 p.m and 7.30 p.m. the new arrival wasn't confident that she could work out the process. So the on call was handed over to NJC. After that the fIrst call was at about 930 p.m. To pick up a gentleman who was having an asthma episode. Collected Minni the AHW on the way, Back to the clinic with patient and wife then treated him then took him and the. Minni home.
Home by 11pm ish
Home and to bed? Next call about 2 am from 000 operator, patching a call through for a woman collapsed in Buhtan...like pulling teeth finding out anything, other than the patient was female and breathing. The address was even difficult, being the first street in Buhtan. With a questionable set of directions, we rang but couldn't contact the AHW, tried several times.. Went to the house we dropped her off...not there but pointed to another house, where we drove into the front yard honked the horn several times, then knocked on the door...no AHW to be found.....
Then the fun started...checking in with the manager so someone knew where we were and taking the community night patrol with us, we located a large group of people around one collapsed female. Then the fun started.... Ensuring DRABC was good (no 'S' 'cause we were the help that would have been sent for anyway) she was breathing and not bleeding but deeply unconscious. Moving some of the crowd back got the stretcher out of the ambulance, eventually using a patient slide ( stored in the roof racks) got her onto the stretcher but do you think we could get the trolley back into the ambulance? Then the fun started....Eventually we used the patient slide, into the ambulance and left the stretcher at the scene. With a promise from the gathered present would get the stretcher back to the Clinic. ( later worked out that due our unfamiliarity with the stretcher the harnesses had become tangled in the workings and we couldn't see that this was the problem.) The AHW, had we found her, would have been able to help us sort the operator error)
Back to the clinic where the patient has a few more fits, and was still unconscious. Drips, blood tests, ECG ( all actually done by NJC not the helper). There are between five and 10 family members present at any given time, including two 'adorable 'little boys, who were quite a handful. Query first epileptic fit, she eventually regained consciousness. Liaison with The District Medical Officer in Darwin, and Careflight established that she wouldn't qualify for emergency evacuation, but on the first available flight, which could have got to Galliwin'ku about 0900.
Terminal one of the Galliwin'ku International airport, and 'my' dodgie troopy in the fore ground
At about 6.00am a well spoken gent introduced himself as the patient's brother in law, and that his son was a witch doctor, and the nephew (WD)wanted to 'treat' the patient. The nephew/witch doctor was about 19 years old. The patient and patient's family was ok with this, and as we were just waiting and observing, with a few rules, (no touching or any 'medicines' or upsetting her) they were permitted to 'examine' and 'treat' the patient. Asking for a cup of water, and five minutes later we were advised that the WD had found a evil spirt in her and the WD had removed the spirit.
Notwithstanding our beliefs or otherwise, the patient reported feeling better after this and nobody was hurt during the process, and the family was happy with the result.
Handover at 0800 and the long long transit home, in bed by 0900, and because of the required 10 hour break, no work for NJC today.
Other than that not much happened.
Gratuitous photos of kookaburra in our old gum trees
And NJC returning from fishing
Good to hear you're both still alive, keep it up. Xxxxxxx
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