I Shall have a long winded blog about every single little detail of my trip to Rockies as it’s a once in lifetime event (unless I really sign up).
Juz a little intro: it’s part of my clinical attachment in the army barracks and I’m lucky enuf to visit their joint exercise with US and UK
The trip was all paid for (~700 bucks for return air tix)
this is the photo album
1st Day
Took train to Domestic Airport station which costed me $12.20 for a mere 3 stations away from Central.
Shld have taken number 400 bus fr Anzac Parade instead.
Met up with Varun & 2 other army guys(pvt Elliot M & Chaplain Brown).
Took the plane(w/o tv) to Brisbane, transit to a smaller plane to Rockhampton. I love window seat as all the while you can see terrains, hills, sea and meandering river. I juz like it when the plane is landing & everything gets bigger. But bad pt about small plane is that it’s rocky so I was a bit dizzy at the end of trip. I love the cold brownies served on the plane. They provide gossip magazines as well!!!
Fetched by a van to the army base in rockhampton which is less than 5 min away fr the airport. Apparently the security was tight as they had prostestors hanging around the corner.
Not much happening there as it’s juz a base camp. We had a brief orientation around the base camp. Rows of tents, proper shower and toilet, cybercafé, wireless, tv, gym, good food (with 24 hr fridge open for you to take stuff like milk, bread, fruits.etc), provision shop, and big screen movie at night. I wouldn’t dare to take much photo as I still didn’t know whether I’m allowed to or not. I don’t wanna risk my camera( it’s atcually yonxian’s cam, mine sent for repair) roamed around the RAP(their GP clinic) and the area.
The medics were juz serving wirelss and watching OZ tv show in the RAP tent. After dinner, took proper shower and roamed around again. Watched abit of Narnia at the big screen in the canteen but it’s so slow in the beginning so I started writing post cards I bot fr the airport. Hang around with the US medics for a while. (you can see US, UK and OZ soldier hanging around) would say that the most interesting thing happen that night was to help Varun find his car key with my pentorch around the camp.
Went to sleep in the women’s tent (only 3 pple including me with 2 other US soldiers). Oh my! the night was so freezing cold ( reminds me of glen davis, I definitely don’t enjoy that)…..you keep hearing wind blowing and the tent canvas flapping. Luckily I have my winter sleeping bag bot last time for glen davis trip. But still……I was freezing.
the stretchers where we put our sleeping bag on.
2nd Day
had a warm breakfast, briefing about their ranking. wat to take note in the jungle like snake and mosquitoes and those long term persistent protesters (juz like the movie u see, they show those faces of mafia during the police meeting in the powerpoint presentation) and motorbike gang ( protest against the war). Board the van to the 1HSB site in the exercise. It’s another 1-2 hr trip.
this is a Capricorn Statue as Rockies is on the line of Tropical Capricorn latitude on the Map
This is the Rockhampton town. This view is juz like the postcard i bot.
It’s at the Shoalwater bay- the world’s finest army training area where the gvt bot over. We passed by the US area…and you can see how much (lotsa) stuff US army brought over here.
THe lorry that sent gas to the camp. on our way there
They had a road block by police 10km away fr the actual site. To make the protester come down of the vehicles and walk 10km( they assumed that they can’t make the distance).
We finally reached the place. Had a orientation around the place. had lunch ( I wld say that the camp fed them well). Some soldiers went to have a game of volleyball. We roamed around again to the wards and medical utilities……met some of the familiar faces (Mitch, Katie, Big Boss)back in 1SHB (1st health support battalion) in Holsworthy army barracks.
They have low, medium and high dependency wards, resus unit, RAP, dental clinic , X ray and patho lab. (all were in tents / containers)
The OT entrance. Heard that they reattached a finger acouple of days ago.(an engineer got his finger kiap by some really heavy door!!!)
Hi dependency unit
Resus unit
The Patho and Xray container
This is the interconnected wards. u can see the plastic fake leafy thing on top for camouflage.
Varun was walkin into the low & med dependency ward
The RAP(GP clinic)
The flags (fr left 1SHB, red cross and the US one ). those containers u see are the communications part which was restricted for access.
i bot some chips & timtams for our frens. I knew they wld love it. But the 2 pack of chips pecah when i check them in, all the gas come out d but still edible.>>
One remarkable thing to mention is the toileting facilities
They had the wooden cubicles with the holes which you don’t need to flush. Juz do ur business and close the lid. It’s best described with picture
Oso they had this male urinal area called “pissiphone” where they will face each other and pea into this bottle like thing ( at least that’s wat I heard …if u need vivid details , you have to ask varun)
They had women and men’s showering tent (separated) It’s 3 min shower policy with juz canvas separating btw cubicles which means if you walk pass the cubicles u will still see pple showering naked.
But over here u have to get used to it….even in swimming pool, in the ladies showering area you will juz see naked bodies around. Some juz change outside the cubicle area or juz shower at the rinsing area. But rest assured that it’s all contained in the ladies area. So only accessible by gals.
We did a little help out with the unloadin of food stuff fr the container
I had a warm shower, warm dinner, roam around & met Mitch our good fren aka medic back in holsworthy.
The mass aka the dining place
Possum stealing the army biscuit
Mitch and me
Over here, everyone has to carry gun and the belt with all the essential stuff ( even paramedic or big boss when they walk around on the ground) met this GP Dr J.Sheppard fr holsworthy , had a little chat with him about indigenous health.etc. And then it’s the US navy talking about their ranking and system at the mass ( dining area).
After that , the senior nurse of the US Navy showed us around their almighty US facilities.
Their concept is to be simple, hi tech and efficient.
So it’s all juz everything under a ~ 14M X4M tent.
The pack which caters for one or 2 patients (depend on which one is it) will be replaced by a new pack even only if 1 plaster is being used fr the big pack. But I remembered someone told me that in war…it’s so havoc that u wldn’t b bothered but grab anything in your sight.
THat's wat the army does at night....so boring
Their Operating Theatre (non-sterile).
Their operating table.
Their surgical pack & the same theory goes
their sterile table all in the box and disposable
Their non-fancy anaesthetic apparatus (back to basic to reduce weight) – so everything is based on gauging the clinical signs the pt presents
very basic
Their oxygen generator fr ambient air so dont' need to carry oxygen tank
The 4 containers that carry the stuff
They have a electronic Xray. (ex but gd cuz you don’t need to carry chemicals and films anymore)
They said that all this will only take 8 pple to set up in half an hr something
They don’t have a defibrillator…..their theory is that there’s no point to defib someone when someone is under cardiac arrest during the war situation. Cuz wateva causing the arrest is probably something serious and defib them will not help them much. So they will juz leave the person and let the person “fade” away peacefully….but I guess if they r really desperate and wanna save their mate…they can always borrow it fr the OZ army bah.LOL
And oso they don’t really stitch pple up . for eg. If someone is having internal bleeding, they will open the person up, fix the bleeding , use something to wrap the cavity and send the person to nearby hospital. Their theory is that they r there juz to fix the main problem. ( but it juz don’t make sense to me…where can u find nearby hospital in the real situation)
Anyways, they were good in introducing and bringing us around I wld say. Thanks to their hi confidence of their facilities.
Wldn’t wanna hang around in the dark and cold for too long so went back to tent and wrap myself in double layer of sleeping bag (the army one on the outside). I almost fell into the drain cuz the whole place was not lit except the toilet area (it wldn’t be nice if you fall into u-know-wat >_<). This is when the Energizer pen torch you use to see JVP comes in handy. Thanks Teck G :D
Katie, the paramedic
THE happening part of the whole camp.
I think i mentioned b4 the paramedics are all very nice pple. will teach us as best as they can.
I sorta regretted cuz I shld have stayed in the RAP to see some actions goin on.
Again…it’s a “wake up several times” night. At once, the strong wind blew my mozzinet away ( no moisquitoes anyways under such cold & harsh condition). So I was trying to feel my mozzinet back in the dark and tug it under my sleeping bag. I have to clear the sand that got into my eyes. The feeling was juz awful.
One female doc in RAP told me that she was wearing contacts initially but then her vision blurred. They told her that the sand has scatched the corneal or something. So she has to stop wearing contacts.
At 1 am, someone came in , keep shining torch light around. I woke up, sat up and look at the person w/o my specs then I went back to sleep after I felt that nothing is really going wrong.
He’s actually a doctor who went with the paratroopers days ago. We occupied his stretcher space so he juz squeeze in somewhere at the side. Actually the idea is so cool….a doc who gets to parachute but in actual fact parachuting juz sound happening. God knows how many freak injuries are caused by that. I wonder wat happen if the doc himself broke his leg.
Apparently on their trip back, one of the truck overturned so they were delayed.
Have I forgotten to tell u that it’s a mix tent with commanders and lieutenants?
Er hem….and I get a peep at the naked back view of some naked macho body (who ask him to change in the tent *_*
3rd Day
As we have to leave early in the morning, I woke up earlier than the soldiers (6am is the time they have to get up, 630 they have to gather) after greeted by my Jay Chou’s “Mi De Xiang” ringtone. Then this person talks to me in the dark….
“ do u see a small towel hanging around here?”
In my freezing mind :” Oh my….wat a qn to ask in a freezing morning.”
I shone my handpohne toward the direction where the sound came fr (kinda rude but no choice lah, at least you have to know who r u toking to & not hallucinating)
I looked around & saw the towel hanging there ( can’t he see that with his “ xenon” torch light ?!!!)
“ this is not mine, so I think it’s yours….”
It’s drizzling outside, wear my poncho to the showering area, wash up, thanks to Wade ( the nurse director in 1SHB who was like us, came for short observing trip) he help us to set up the stretcher and help to dismantle it as well (hahah,,,,,I felt so useless and pampered) . I pack the breakfast for both me and Varun fr the canteen.
I don’t wanna dirty my sneakers so I wore my slipper instead. Oh my, it’s so hard to walk, nearly slipped twice.( luckily my righting reflex is good). my slippers got stuck in mud near the toilet area. This is the time when army boots /PCK boots are really useful. Heard that it continued raining for 1 more week after we left.
THe cruiser
The big boss said farewell to us. He’s such a nice guy. ( he was a physio and he slowly rose to be the director of 1SHB) I would like to work for someone like him.
THis is how the whole setting should look like fr far. (this was taken fr previous exercise)
So very soon we took the van back to the airport. I posted my 2nd postcard. Wash up and change into proper shoe…. On the plane, met this legal officer workin for army.- legal officer obviously deal with various legal issues regarding the exercise eg the protesters.
the nurse director fr 1SHB, Wade on the far left
After that it’s juz the same old plane experience again. I was actually lookin forward for the brownie again but it was apple tea cake this time round. Not bad either
We went back to holsworthy, said a 2nd farewell to the pple and showed them some picture.
In conclusion: I think the whole trip is juz too short ( the actual time we spent at the site is less than 1 day). If not for the harsh conditions, I wld luv to stay there longer to see the real action. That is why I regretted for not staying up for the night to see some action in RAP. But seriously speaking, what more can I ask for….this is good enuf man. An all expense paid learning trip to the hospital setting in a once every 2 yr army exercise ( which not all people can gt to go)
I was glad that I don’t need to clear my bowels at the hole like toilet but…..
I had serious constipation (despite my hi fruit intake) after I came back to Sydney which made me hog the toilet fr my housemates and late for my CMT in the morning.
Think that is due to lack of water intake. As I don’t like contemplating in the dark and cold night whether I shld get out of my sleepin bag to get to the toilet.
