116 The Australian Women’s Weekly|JUNE 2018
GETTY IMAGES.90th anniversary
CEDUNA juggling of hours (one day Derani might begin work at
5am; the next it could be a 9pm start and an all-nighter)
because Derani’s parents, Margaret and Geoff, still play
a big part in their family life – especially Margaret, who
does much of the cooking.
Wudinna isn’t far from Kadina, where we’ve been asked
to stop for a non-urgent pick-up, but the weather in the area
is deteriorating. High winds and horizontal rain with varying
visibility are not ideal conditions for an instrument
landing on a small airstrip. The pilot, Gerritt Koldenhoff,
makes the call to proceed to Ceduna, on the Great
Australian Bight, instead. The clouds are clearing as
we approach the town and sandy beaches line the vast
sapphire blue Southern Ocean.
No two days at work are the same. Derani has seen
farmers run down by rams and bulls and a patient legging
it because of a fear of lying. She has helped countless
babies into the world and offered reassurance to new
mothers. Mental health care is also a big
component of her work and, perhaps because
the landscape nurtures a special kind of
independence, there are many stoic patients:
“Oh, she’ll be right, mate!” People can be
critically ill but they don’t want to make
a fuss.
Norm Bennet, 76, is a big, tall, friendly
bloke with a shock of white hair and a small
gold earring that features an Egyptian love
amulet. The wind cuts sharply up from
the coast as he stands to one side of the
ambulance on the runway. He’s there to
support his wife, Bobbie, who needs urgent
treatment for an abdominal condition. She’s
in a lot of pain. Derani keeps us out of the
cabin until Bobbie is comfortable. During
the light, she speaks to her softly and
reassuringly. She touches her gently.
Norm and Bobbie have been together for
47 years. They moved to Ceduna in the early
’70s but as Norm says laughingly, “you’re not
a local until your grandmother’s in the
cemetery”. They were supposed to head off to
Bali later in the week to visit one of their sons but they’ll
get there later, no rush. As we land in Adelaide, Bobbie
seems to be progressing well.
It’s the end of the shift. “Let’s call and see how Jan is,”
Derani says. Through the day, we had both wondered out
loud how she was going. All is well, perhaps a stent
for her heart, the bruise on her forehead is serious
(she has a small bleed in her brain as a result of the fall)
but with age on her side, the outlook is good: much relief
and big smiles.
It’s been a long day and Derani is looking forward
to getting home to her family. She makes a quick call
and smiles. “My mum is so good, she’s got dinner ready
for us”.AWWAbove: Norm
Bennet, travelling
with the RFDS
from Ceduna
on the Great
Australian Bight,
with his wife
Bobbie, who
needs urgent
treatment in
Adelaide.
Right: Derani at
home with her
sons, Mason
(left) and Jett.