About the Blog
G’day
My name’s Robbo. Well it’s really Andrew, but it can’t be used out here for cultural reasons. So I use my nickname these days wherever I go. (Go here to find out more about this)
You can find more about me here
I live and work in a remote indigenous community in outback Australia. The blog will not focus on the day to day events but looks at the issues of remote, rural and indigenous health and life out bush. To find out more about me go to my website (I promise to update it soon!)
I am writing this blog for many reasons, so it will probably end up a mishmash of (hopefully interesting) content. A lack of interest and action in these issues by my professional bodies, with the pharmacy owner’s association (Pharmacy Guild of Australia) wanting to control all “community” pharmacist activities through pharmacies I believe is hindering the provision of quality pharmacist services to those in remote, and to a lesser extent, rural areas.
Hopefully other health professionals will also find it interesting and think of a career in remote health. Pharmacy students have to do a rural placement and I am probably the most “rural” pharmacist in Australia. Hopefully they can gain some knowledge from this blog about the issues surrounding remote health.
For the general reader hopefully it can show what pharmacists are or can be involved in other than just standing up behind a counter (where they do make sure the drug and dose are safe for you amongst other things in that “10 minute script”).
I post to Auspharm and where I think relevant those posts will be rewritten and posted here for a more general audience.
Do not hesitate to leave a comment and if the blog interests you please subscribe by email below or via the RSS feed (the orange button below that syas ‘subscribe to reader’). If you are unsure please go to my ‘How to Subscribe’ page.
When I can, I also place the occasional Twitter. You can follow me at BiteTheDust
17th January 2009: Here’s a little bit more about me
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Great stuff Andrew. Loving the blog. Mike
Hi Mate,
Nice site… looking good.
At the risk of sounding too commercial would you consider a link to our Emergency Locum Service – so any desparate owners who find you, can find us in an emergency sitcho?
No probs if you don’t like the idea.
Take care
Adam @ Ravens
G’day Adam,
Just drop off the “At the risk of” and start with “Sounding too commercial”! Howabout I just leave ths blatant plug up here.
Well done Robbo and the more people we can make aware of the tremendous opportunities for pharmacist professional involvement in Aboriginal health the more we might get the taking of medicines pushed higher up the ladder of priorities as an area for improvement. I remember that a medicine is just a chemical that without information will do nothing.
People like you are getting the information out there and that is the key to pharmacy’s contribution to Closing the Gap and that is far more than 17 years where you work I am sure.
Keep it up
Rollo in Darwin
G’day bloke, just dropped in to wish you well in your endeavours. Big place out there. Take care..
Hi Robbo. Sounds like you are a man on a mission! … doing a fine job at it, too.
I am one week away from flying north to live and work in Fitzroy Crossing with the Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service http://www.nindilingarri.org.au/index.htm .
Call in and have a chat on next time you are passing.
Great stuff Robbo, Like the phote of you and your assistant. Trained him/her to dispense yet?
G’day Erik, She can do almost anything. But she hates to show off her skills
Hi Robbo. The site looks great – very interesting!
I’ve just started up a gift blog… so if you come across any people or groups in your travels that are making products that can be sold as a gift… I’ll feature them on the blog. They don’t have to sell online – but contact details might help in case retailers or individuals want to contact them directly.
I’m always looking for unusual gifts with interesting stories.
g’day Kirsty
Start with Warakurna artists. http://www.warakurnaartists.com.au/ tell Edwina I sent you. They sell through the website and would love any publicity.
have a look at some of her youtube for a feel of the place. http://au.youtube.com/user/WarakurnaArtists
Robbo
Hi Robbo — dreamingspires here. Great blog. thumbs up all round.
thanks dreaming for the comments
Hi Robbo are you still up there,, you must be wanted for murder somewhere,, I met you when i was a locum nurse there a couple of years ago,, I hope to get there again soon. Paul Rice
g’day Paul
I am still out there. It’s home for me.
Have you applied yet?
Robbo
G’day Robbo, There you are in all that space and here am I in a tiny studio in the Fremantle. Kirsty Lawson (in your above blogs) introduced me to you and I am looking forward to following your blogs. How large is the community you serve? And how hard is it to get the medications you need? Heat, dust and sheer bloody distance must really hinder supply and demand. Tell me the story….. I’m all ears. What are the most prevalent health conditions you are working with. How much does bureaucrasy stuff up your practice?What your dog’s name. Do you have a family somewhere? When was the last time you came to the big city? Would you rather be any where else? What sort of music do you dig? Would you trade that big open space for any where else?
Lets here from you soon, time and communications lines permitting
With great respect, Kate
so many questions. lets start with the most important. The dog’s name is Girl.
The rest… well someday I will have to answer them all!
Good work mate, keep it going strong, in my younger years way back last century I grew up with the local aborigine in the Pilbara region of WA, my wifes great Aunty Jessie “Litchfield” also did a lot of work in the NT with the early missions for them, had the Litchfield National Park named after her.
hi robbo,
stumbled across your blog when i was looking for a picture of dalhousie to take me back to my travels there! so interesting…..i’m really hoping to leave the smoke of the big city and work in the bush. well i guess i will see how i like my placements – for which, the possibilities out west seem endless!!! many thanks for the inspiration, i will continue to read…
kristy
G’day Kristy
Thanks for the comment.
I assume you are studying something in Health? Working out bush may make a speciality difficult but you become a specialist generalist!