In 1926 Nevill was asked to travel up to the Northern Territory again, and this time take someone with medical skills with him. They were to minister particularly to the 50,00 – 70,000 indigenous people living in the area.
Mr Rudolph Schick from the Sydney Adventist Hospital was invited to travel with Nevill and he accepted the invitation. He was given a crash course in dentistry before setting off.
The car they drove this time, a new Essex Six, was fitted out much better, with electrical equipment, shock-absorbers and spotlights and loaded with their normal supplies, as well as medical equipment. 1.
The pair left Wahroonga (Sydney) on Monday, 19 April, but this time they were going to travel the reverse of Nevill’s previous trip, going up through NSW and across to Central Queensland. From there they caught a train to an Aboriginal training school called Mona Mona Mission, near Cairns. They spent a week with the local people, pulling teeth, helping with mechanical work, tuning and repairing an organ, and mending a clock. 2.
They then caught the train back to their car and headed west into the Northern Territory, visiting many of the stations where Nevill had stayed on his previous trip. They were able to give dental care to the grateful people living on the stations.
Their trip was not without its challenges, including engine trouble, running out of petrol, dodging kangaroos and becoming bogged in a tidal creek, where it took 23 hours to dig themselves out of the crocodile infested water!
They stayed at Alice Springs for a time to work the area, as well as to pack the food and supplies they had ordered and which had been shipped from Port August by train and camel. They met a lady who had lived there for 20 years, reared a large family – and had never once seen a nurse or doctor. The men spotted a copy of Heralds of the Morning in her bookcase, along with an old copy of the Signs magazine. 3.
They left Alice Springs late one night and had reached only as far as the MacDonnell Ranges, when their lights fused. They tried another fuse, but that didn’t work either, so they had to inch their way in the dark until they were clear of the range. It was 1:00am by now, so they pulled out their swags and tried to sleep, but as the night was bitterly cold this was almost impossible. They awoke early and were grateful to get going once more.
REFERENCES:
- Australasian Record. February 15, 1926. Vol 30 No 7.
- Australasian Record. June 6, 1926. Vol 30 No 22.
- Australasian Record. August 2, 1926. Vol 30 No 31.
- Australasian Record. September 13, 1926. Vol 30 No 37.
