Steeped in Features: Nurse Extraordinaire

Margaret Smith

I grew up in Adelaide, the second of three girls and was active in the local Methodist church activities such as Sunday School, Christian Endeavour, Netball and tennis & camps. I started Brownies at 8, then progressed through Guides and Rangers.

My Mum grew up on a farm at Minnipa (Eyre Peninsula) but moved to Adelaide to complete high school. After meeting my father, she made her home there, but we were lucky to have holidays at the home place with Grandma and Grandpa Cook. My Cook ancestor was a boot maker who settled at Whyte Yarcowie in the 1870’s.

My dad grew up in the Western suburbs of Adelaide (Mile End) —the Dewar’s, were Scots, who settled in Adelaide 1876.

Every year, just after Christmas, mum & dad took our caravan to Fort Glanville Caravan Park, where we’d spend the summer with friends. The menfolk went to work from there and we kids spent our time hanging out and exploring the fort and sand dunes etc. When Dad took his annual holidays, we always went touring, mostly the southern states. To keep us from fighting in the backseat, mum set us up with knitting projects to do while we travelled – often it became a race. We made some great jumpers. As I grew older I made it my goal to try as many “Gentle Needle Arts” as possible such as crochet, tatting, tapestry, quilting, embroidery, lace making and dress making even stretched to Stained Glass Windows.

Dad was president of the Cornish Carol Choir, and every Christmas I loved to go with him to the concerts and gained a love for singing; I later joined the “Endeavourers” – a youth choir that not only sang, but performed musicals – and was able to tour Tasmania, ACT and other rural areas with them. At the age of 14, I was born again and dedicated my life to serving God.

Years later, I asked my mother why they supported me in all I wanted to do. It seemed like my sisters weren’t involved. And she said it was ‘because you always knew what you wanted’.

I attended Underdale High School – my final year 1970. I worked as a courier in the Xray Department of the Royal Adelaide Hospital until I started Nurse training at the end of September1971- the day before my 17^th birthday. In those days, nurses had to live in—the Hospital ’owned’ its nurses. Special requests for time off were hard to come by. They didn’t provide a carpark, because according to Matron, nurses didn’t earn enough to own a car so therefore didn’t need a car park.

I finished my training, October 10^th 1974. (Including the day I had to make up as I wasn’t deemed to be a nurse for the day I started).  I was undecided about my future.  Mum and Dad thought I’d would go to the Queen Victoria Hospital to do my Midwifery; however, I met a girl at youth camp who had trained at the Royal Women’s Hospital, in Melbourne, and knew that that, was where I was meant to go.

Mum and dad, while shocked at first, yet were supportive of my move. I commenced Midwifery training on December 4^th 1974

After two years (a year training and a year on staff), armed with my Midwifery Certificate, I applied for a posting with the Australian Inland Mission (now Frontier Services) and was sent Warburton WA.

I was one of four nurses who staffed the 13- bed hospital. There was no doctor but we provided primary medical clinics, primary health care and of course emergency care.  It gave me great appreciation for the culture of the Ngaanatjarra people. Very few of the residents lived in actual houses. Several of the women worked in the hospital.  Due to the isolation, we were restricted to daylight landings of RFDS –from Kalgoorlie, so any really sick patients had to wait for daybreak. After six months, I contracted Hepatitis. I was flown back to Kalgoorlie for hospitalization before returning to Adelaide to recuperate.

In the eight months left of 1977, I travelled with my parents around Australia, worked at the Keith hospital before flying to England for several months touring.

I enjoyed my time in England as it was a great time for me to reflect on what had transpired and where my life was going - I made a decision to come home and attend Tabor Bible College - to gain a Diploma of Ministry. I became part of their first graduating class in Dec 1979. The classes were at night, so could I work as a nurse for the Royal District Nursing Society (RDNS).  After I Graduated, I remained on staff at Tabor, and set up and managed their library for two years.

I always had a desire to marry and finding a fellow- believer, passionate for God wasn’t easy, but I was trusting God. It is amazing how God works. In January of 1983 after a 2 ½ day courtship and nine- week engagement, I married Quentin Smith. (A most amazing man – a builder and tour operator)

Reflecting back over time it was staggering the number of times that our paths had crossed. Ten years before, a friend and I were going to Wilpena for the weekend and I recall having to wait for the owner (Quentin) of the Fuel Outlet (now Carling’s), to open.  We had met at random times – Tabor Bible College library, at a performance of “The Glory of Christmas” We both attended the same church, and became casual friends. After we were married I was looking through a scrap book of Quentin’s memorabilia and found a Newspaper article that I remembered seeing as a child, such as – the Diprotodon skeleton that he found at Pernatty Lagoon – now in the SA Museum.

I continued to work full time at the Quorn hospital as a Registered Nurse midwife for many years, including 10 years as Aged Care Manager of Flinders House – until finally retiring in June of 2015.

We were blessed with 2 sons, Angus and Hamish; the value of family became very evident as all our extended families were many miles away so June Roberts came into our lives, became their surrogate grandmother. They loved her, and Quentin and I couldn’t have been more blessed and happier to have her help and as part our lives. Quentin loved being part of the boys’ lives and shared with them many wonderful experiences— bush walking, fossicking, track work, adventures. He supported their swimming carnivals, school camps and sports days. We worked as a team giving and taking, supporting one another in everything. I never had any problem with acknowledging that he was the head of our Home, but also reminded him that I was the neck and the head can’t operate without the neck. His passion for God came as a result of several miraculous healings throughout his life: surviving Brucellosis and Bovine TB as child, recovering from severe spinal injuries at 17 when he was told he would never walk again, instantaneous healing of torn ligaments in his arm after an accident.  He had a passion for all things of nature and geology, and spent many days prospecting and discovering the wonders of creation. He overcame literacy problems – dyslexia wasn’t heard of in those days. He had eyes to “see” beyond what we see.

When we married, Quentin’s Tour business, INTREPID TOURS, was still in its infancy and so together we developed and expanded the business, the Museum / Crystal Cave and tourist information center.

In 1969, Quentin had bought the shop on the corner (restored it and turned it into Quorn Museum) as well as the adjacent property which was a bakery. In the cellar he had wonderful displays of the rocks, mineral and fossils he’d collected over time. Now deemed to be one of the largest individual collections of minerals in Australia and they are now on permanent display at Jeff Morgan’s Gallery, Hawker.

Tourism hadn’t really started here when Quentin came, with his idea for local and outback tours in a big bus; many locals dismissed tourists as rubbernecks, and laughed at Quentin’s ideas too. He gathered support and started the Pichi Richi Railway Society (1973). Pioneered tracks on the Dutchmen Stern (Private Property) – to provide a unique area to run 4WD tours – this led to this area becoming a conservation Park that we have today. 1987, he gained a tourism award for the best “individual effort” in Flinders Ranges.  He maintained all our 4WD tracks manually, using volunteers from—OARS, Prisoners, church youth groups on work days in the mountains to help maintain the tours tracks. He was a scoutmaster; long term member of Quorn CFS & SES, and projectionist at the Town Hall, an enthusiastic actor in the Drama club and loved to perform poetry.

Quentin would put his down-to-earth Christianity into action. He was a hard worker had a hunger for knowledge and a love for his fellowman.

I took on the management of the Office and all the catering for tour meals etc. The day and half day tours became popular and word spread rapidly by word of mouth. 1987 we commissioned the building of the “Big Bus”- a 4WD Hino coach that seated 25 – this type of vehicle wasn’t available at the time so, armed with engineer’s plans we forged our way through the red tape of Regency Park Dept. of Transport to have it built. This opened up many doors for larger groups such as the “Waterhouse Club (SA Museum)”, Senior citizen Groups and even the “Smithsonian Institute (USA)” for 7 to 10 day outback tours and adventures. His local attractions and Flinders Ranges tours—Intrepid Tours—became popular. Overseas travelers loved his enthusiasm, quirkiness and storytelling. Stories of his life and adventures were reported in many Publications such as the Advertiser, Chicago Tribune, 4 WD magazines and an episode of Simon Townsend’s wonderworld.

The longer tours required that I cater “on the road”, we stayed in Shearer’s quarters. Yvonne Hoseason-Smith came along as my right Hand.  We’d go ahead to the designated station shearers’ kitchen in our vehicle, set up camp and cook a meal. The group would arrive, wash, eat, sleep, before heading out the next day on with that day’s food onboard; leaving us to clean up, and do it again next day. The days we didn’t have to travel were spent baking bread, cakes and goodies for the up- coming days. We came home exhausted. We met so many wonderful from all over the world and share with them God’s wonderful country.

We ceased operating tours in 2001 for various reasons – the introduction GST, ill Health and economy so Quentin returned to his trade.

My Philosophy: I was born loved - of my family and of God - therefore I can love others and to love is to serve.

John 13:34 (Jesus Speaking) “A new command I give to you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples – if you love one another.”