BACK                                                                                      HOME                             In 1957 eight people constitute the local staff.                                            They are:                                       The Flying Doctor Dr C. R. Huxtable,                                                  Senior pilot V. Cover,                                           Second pilot J. Jenkins,                                     Base Director F. Basden M.B.E.,                            Radio operators D. Sandercock and G. McGreehan, and                                Typists Mrs Martinovich and Miss M. Piper.  The base is equipped with powerful transmitters which allows operating on two wavelengths at one time.  Thus one station can be kept in constant communication with the aircraft and listen for emergency calls, while the other is used for routine Base work.  This latter includes the dispatch of telegrams, of which about 4,000 are handled each month.  It is also used for "school of the air" sessions, which each day bring the classroom to many isolated children outback.  Help is given to the Department of Civil Aviation, particularly in the movement of small aircraft.  The Flying Doctor, who lives in town, can speak directly to the outback callers through the base radio equipment by merely sitting at his desk and operating a switch.  Most stations carry a special medical chest, whose comprehensive contents are tabulated for easy identification.  By advising the use of various items in the "miniature hospital in a box" the doctor can treat an isolated case from his home.  However, he has no hesitation in flying to the station if special and emergency cases arise. The doctor himself is as reserved as he is capable.  A Military Cross and Bar indicate the distinction with which he served with the R.A.M.C. in two World Wars, and much more could be said on that score were he willing.  Much of his time since his graduation from Sydney University was spent practicing in Queensland.  He joined the Royal Flying Doctor Service in September, 1954, and has flown some 60,000 miles each year since.        He averages three outback flights a week, and in addition conducts regular clinics-at Menindee and Tibooburra, 2-monthly;Radium Hill, fortnightly; and Hungerford and Andamooka, quarterly. Zinc Corporation Co-Operates During a brief interview with Doctor Huxtable, we were told of a memorable flight in which Zinc Corporation played an important part.  Late one afternoon, in November 1955, the Base was contacted by Wertaloona, a station near the Flinders Range in South Australia. The doctor ascertained that a woman from nearby Mulga Creek was very ill indeed, and that little hope could be held out for her if she did not receive medical attention during the night.  The case was desperate, as the Flying Doctor aircraft are not yet equipped for night flying.  At this stage a fine piece of co-operation was achieved.  The Zinc Corporation offered the loan or its Lockheed aircraft; the Broken Hill and District Hospital made available a nurse and blood for transfusion; and the Manager of Balcanoona, Mr Bob Kerr, arranged to bring to Wertaloona a number of flares which he had been holding for some time.  About 10 p.m., the plane left Broken Hill on its life-saving mission.  Pinpointing the small Wertaloona strip at night was by no means a routine task, but Z.C. pilots Lloyd Miller and Colin Walker maintained radio contact with Wertaloona and advised Mr Kerr when to light his flares.  They arrived and brought the aircraft down the flare path without incident.  The Z.C. pilots returned to Broken Hill while the doctor motored another 50-miles - over very poor roads - to Mulga Creek, which is an outstation of Wooltana station.  The blood transfusion was quickly administered, and the patient was restored sufficiently to be flown to Broken Hill Hospital at daybreak next day in the Flying Doctor plane.  Her life was undoubtedly saved by this fine co-operative effort. The Zinc Corporation Ambulance Department keeps a nightly listening schedule while the Base staff is off duty.  At 10.30 p.m., 1.30 a.m.  and 4.30 a.m.  the ambulance staff switch on a receiver in the room, and outback people know that emergencies may be reported at these hours.  Should a case arise, a direct line is used to contact the base.  The system is so successful that, at times, the doctor has been in turn alerted and placed in contact with the station within three or four minutes of the initial emergency call.                                                    CONTINUE NEXT PAGE