Re: POOR DANIEL

On 2024-10-14 12:13 a.m., Daniel70 wrote:

The Doctor wrote on 14/10/24 12:56 am:

 <CHOP>

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Reasonable guess, but no.
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I was going to spend Christmas 1977 with my Sister who was, at that time, living in Perth. I at that time was living in Melbourne.
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https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Melbourne+VIC/Perth+WA/ @-33.9073162,119.8026822,5z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1! 1s0x6ad646b5d2ba4df7:0x4045675218ccd90!2m2!1d144.9630576!2d-37.8136276! 1m5!1m1!1s0x2a32966cdb47733d:0x304f0b535df55d0!2m2!1d115.8616783! 2d-31.9513993!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
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Saturday morning, mid-December, me and a friend, Vin, left Melbourne and drove and drove and drove.
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We slept in the car that night at Iron Monarch, SA, and then, on Sunday morning, our trip continued. We stopped for lunch at Ceduna, S.A.
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https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Iron+Monarch+Mine,+Iron+Knob+SA/ Ceduna+SA/@-32.6658806,134.0908155,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1! 1s0x6aa35fe33a501c99:0x1d033655671ab230!2m2!1d137.1394476!2d-32.752695! 1m5!1m1!1s0x2ab6a26341ff7995:0x57f4ec01d1dba562!2m2!1d133.6817145! 2d-32.1305851!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
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After lunch, we set out, sort of north-west'ish. About a half hour later the road curved to the left but I didn't.
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The cassette tape had run out so Vin had his head looking down towards his feet where the box of cassettes were, selecting a new one.
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A Semi-trailer coming the other way was in the dirt on his side of the single carriageway road, trying to get out of my way ..... but I still got him .... behind the Cabin.
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My car didn't have air-conditioning, so my window was down and I had my elbow sitting on the window-sill. The Truckie got on his CB radio to get an Ambulance out from Ceduna. When they were putting me into the Ambulance, they bumped my arm and it hurt so I tried to look at it but the Ambo guy said "No. No. Don't bother' so I passed out again.
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The Ambulance took me back into Ceduna, to the Doctors where they arranged a Air Ambulance flight. As they were loading me onto the plane, they again bumped my elbow and I tried to look at it but the Ambo guy again told me not to bother. It took me to a Hospital in Whyalla, where the Doctors amputated my Right Arm just above the Elbow.
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First I knew about it, lunch-time the next day, Monday, my Mum was walking into the Recovery room and I waved my stump in the air and said "Hey, Mum, look at this!!".
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On Boxing Day or the following day, I had to report into the Repatriation General Hospital at Heidelberg in Melbourne. When the Doctor came around doing his afternoon rounds he said there was not much they could do for me then so he discharged me.
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About a fortnight later, I was scratching the skin just in front of my right ear, the temple or thereabouts ... and scrapped out a chunk of glass which must have come from the Windscreen or something.
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It was that close!!
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Eighteen months later, June/July 1979, I made it to Perth .... via Sydney,Goondiwindi, Long Reach, Mt Isa, Darwin and Broome!

 That's quite the adventure, could have easily cost you your life so I guess an arm is a reasonable trade off I suppose.