Bush Doctors

Book excerpt: Imagine yourself critically injured or seriously ill in the middle of nowhere. You’d be hoping like hell there was a doctor nearby to take charge; someone resourceful, who’d think quickly and stay calm under pressure; or even someone who could, if necessary, take charge from a distance. You’d want to be in the safe and sure hands of one of these clever bush doctors. Meet some of the extraordinary GPs, specialist medicos and Royal Flying Doctors who save lives every day beyond the great divide. They might work in some of the most spectacular locations in Australia – from the splendid isolation of the Kimberley and the wide open spaces of outback Queensland to the glorious surfing beaches of eastern Victoria and the freezing icecaps of Antarctica – but their profession demands long hours, extensive medical knowledge and, sometimes, courage beyond their experience. From the bestselling author of Nurses of the Outback and Our Vietnam Nurses, Bush Doctors is a powerful and captivating tribute to all rural and remote doctors – unsung Australian heroes who truly do care.