New Great Australian Flying Doctor Stories by Bill Marsh

by Bill "Swampy" Marsh

Truth is stranger than fiction in this fabulous new collection of flying doctor stories from bestselling author Bill 'Swampy' Marsh.'Where's your thumb?' the doctor asked the injured ringer.'Oh, we stuck it over there on the gatepost, fer safe keepin'.'And just as the doctor turned around to the gatepost, he saw a crow heading skyward, thumb and all. So I don't know how the ringer actually lost his thumb in the first place, but it had certainly gone missing after the crow had flown off with it.From the pilots, doctors and nurses who spread their 'mantle of safety' throughout the remote inland of Australia, as well as the men and women they treat on the ground, comes a brand-new collection of Flying Doctor yarns as told to master storyteller Bill 'Swampy' Marsh.Hear of those whose very lives depend on the Royal Flying Doctor Service, like the man suffering from extreme burns who rode his motorbike eighteen kilometres back across his property to get help while opening and closing every gate along the way because you 'always leave gates as you find them'. Out here, stoicism and a sense of humour go hand in hand, as in the case of the stockman with a compound leg fracture who, when asked by the Flying Doctor if it hurt, replied, 'Oh, it itches a bit.'through fog, lightning, thunder, flooding rains and dust storms, the Flying Doctor braves the elements to get to the remote outback landing strips where they're needed and the tales they live to tell will have you shaking your head in amazement.Featuring the colourful and funny work of legendary Broken Hill artist Howard William Steer, master storyteller Bill 'Swampy' Marsh once again reaches into the the heart and soul of outback Australia with stories of heroism and heartbreak and everything else it takes to live and work in this vast land of ours.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Leticia Caramatti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newly moved to Australia and picked up this book. Interesting for an “outsider” to have some perspective of the challenges of living in the outback and to have some laughs on what a previous reviewer called the “australianess ways”.
Easy to read, not well written, but achieves the purpose of many short self told stories.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the "Australian-ness" of these stories.

[Josie Murrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book with amazing stories and shared experiences.

[Julie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful compendium of stories about life in the outback and how the Royal Flying Doctor Service helps those on need as well as some funny stories about how things don't always go to plan.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading while waiting for a cyclone to hit. Really enjoyed how the stories were exactly as the individuals would have said them.