Retrieval Nurse John Howes has marked an incredible 30 years of service with the RFDS, caring for thousands of patients in that time.
More than 30 years ago,John Howes moved from Melbourne’s inner-city Fitzroy to carrying out patient retrievals from Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley. The nurse made a dramatic seachange to the remote north of WA, working from the RFDS Derby base, where he stayed for seven years. He’s since worked from the Jandakot base for 23 years, where he’s the Senior Base Nurse.
“It’s a cliché but every day in this job is different, and I have seen so many changes in my time - from the aircraft and the equipment on board to the introduction of satellite phones,” said John. “I started flying in the Beechcraft Super King Air B200Cs and now we have these state-of-the art jet aircraft.”
The jets have opened up the whole state so we can fly from Perth up to Kununurra, Broome or even to Christmas Island if necessary.
John
John has kept dozens of diaries of his working life, diligently listing the details of every location he’s flown to retrieve more than four thousand patients from every corner of the state. His colleagues tell him he should publish the highlights as a memoir.
One of John’s most memorable experiences was delivering a baby “on the edge of the desert, under the stars” at Kundat Djaru, south of the Bungle Bungles.
“It was midnight, there were stars everywhere and it all went so well,” he said. “But I also get a real kick out of doing the routine stuff and doing it well, keeping everybody safe and comfortable.”
John gets up at 4:30am every day to swim laps, keeping him agile for his physically demanding job. As for the future, John jokes that his wife Maree would like him to retire, but he’s not quite ready.
I’m fit, I’m healthy and I can still help people. I’ve still got the skills and the knowledge.
John