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I turned up to catch my 20-minute charter flight to Tiwi bright and early, hoping to spend a few hours there interviewing people and filming ear check-ups.
However, when the research team and I got to the air field, we discovered that the charter company had no record of the flight we had booked, which only left us the option of hitching a ride with another plane.
We got to Tiwi two hours late, only to discover the three people we were meant to interview were not on Bathurst Island as expected - they were in Darwin!
And of course we had no-one to pick us up from the airport. So we had to wait another until the clinic bus was free to give us a ride. When we got there, there wasn't really much to film besides kids in childcare and one ear check-up!
We soon also discovered the two women who I was meant to interview back in Darwin who had been a part of the study had sick kids and couldn't be interviewed! At that stage it felt like the whole story was falling apart!!
Researchers phoned all one hundred odd participants in the study to find someone I could interview instead. It wasn't looking good at all!
But thankfully a woman was shceduled for a visit where she was going to get the injection--- and was kind enough to agree to be interviewed!
Before leaving Tiwi to quickyl head to Darwin to try and muster up some interviewees, I decided to do a quick piece to camera as it looked like again we'd be waiting a long time for a lift to the airport. But alas, just as I started a woman from the childcare centre turned up offering us a lift--- so I had to abort mission as it was likely to be the only chance to get off the island!!!
In the end, I managed to get a story--- but it was definitely one of the hardest days I've had on the road...... and it was only Monday.... the next day I had to get a 6am plane to Alice Springs and drive 5 hours (mostly on a dirt track) to be in Ernabella in South Australia's APY lands to be there in time for my next story... and next series of adventures!!
I didn't really get a chance to see Bathurst Island- but the flight over was beautiful and makes me want to go back for more! It was hot and humid.
However, when the research team and I got to the air field, we discovered that the charter company had no record of the flight we had booked, which only left us the option of hitching a ride with another plane.
We got to Tiwi two hours late, only to discover the three people we were meant to interview were not on Bathurst Island as expected - they were in Darwin!
And of course we had no-one to pick us up from the airport. So we had to wait another until the clinic bus was free to give us a ride. When we got there, there wasn't really much to film besides kids in childcare and one ear check-up!
We soon also discovered the two women who I was meant to interview back in Darwin who had been a part of the study had sick kids and couldn't be interviewed! At that stage it felt like the whole story was falling apart!!
Researchers phoned all one hundred odd participants in the study to find someone I could interview instead. It wasn't looking good at all!
But thankfully a woman was shceduled for a visit where she was going to get the injection--- and was kind enough to agree to be interviewed!
Before leaving Tiwi to quickyl head to Darwin to try and muster up some interviewees, I decided to do a quick piece to camera as it looked like again we'd be waiting a long time for a lift to the airport. But alas, just as I started a woman from the childcare centre turned up offering us a lift--- so I had to abort mission as it was likely to be the only chance to get off the island!!!
In the end, I managed to get a story--- but it was definitely one of the hardest days I've had on the road...... and it was only Monday.... the next day I had to get a 6am plane to Alice Springs and drive 5 hours (mostly on a dirt track) to be in Ernabella in South Australia's APY lands to be there in time for my next story... and next series of adventures!!
I didn't really get a chance to see Bathurst Island- but the flight over was beautiful and makes me want to go back for more! It was hot and humid.
