Chicken Soup

"Call the mainland. Tell them to send the damn helicopters"

- Dr Alan Grant, Jurassic Park

7am, Day 3 – we were woken with a thud at the door… one of the yachties was needing a bit of help. A mate on another yacht was feeling pretty crook. We let him in to the residence to call a doctor on Flinders Island to try and get a diagnosis and possible treatment. We gave him access to the radio and phone and waited…

May as well start cooking some chicken soup...

After a bit of back and forth with the doctor, describing symptoms, it was decided the patient needed to be brought from his yacht to our house where he could be near lines of communication. Then, it was probably best to get him off the island and to a hospital – It was too windy for a plane and the seas too rough for a boat. The only option was for an Air Ambulance. All systems go! Where is the Helipad?

Chicken soup starting to smell ok…

Located a suitable spot for a helicopter to land just out the back of the caretakers residence – we waited for word from the mainland as to when we might expect the chopper, turns out the Hobart one was tied up so one will have to be deployed from Melbourne, might be a little while.

Chicken soup needs a bit more seasoning…added! Two takers, the patient and his wife...

A bit more back and forth between the Dr and the air ambulance and we finally had an ETA but no assurance that the helicopter could land in the weather conditions. The patient slept and we waited.

Chicken soup still simmering nicely, may as well have some ourselves...

Finally, in the distance, we could hear the rotor blades of a chopper. It hovered above and circled around and we wondered if it was going to be able to land. Then, another approach and they touched down. Relief – the medics had arrived.

Enough time to give the chicken soup a quick stir...

We welcomed the pilot, paramedic and airman into the house and left them to tend to the patient. They checked his vitals and left him to rest. In the meantime, the weather had turned even more crap for a chopper so the crew had some time to kill before they could leave.

Three bowls of chicken soup coming up...

Everyone fed, weather a little better, helicopter cleared to leave. Patient and his wife with the three crew left for La Trobe, Victoria… Wishing them all the best and a very speedy recovery!

4pm,

Chicken soup in the fridge, Time for a glass of red!

Yachties waiting for chopper to land in our back yard (Photo taken from the sun room)

The weather came in bad after the chopper landed so the crew came in for lunch until they were cleared for take-off