Weekend #1.
Breast Cancer practicum in Longreach
Brisbane to Longreach is a journey of around 1,179 kilometres by road — roughly the same distance as driving from Munich to London! So, rather than spending a day or more behind the wheel, Debra sensibly travelled by air, flying with QANTAS.
Her reason for visiting Longreach was a particularly worthwhile one. She had been invited to participate in two breast care practicums: one designed for breast care nurses and the other for members of the general public. Both provided an opportunity for Debra to share her knowledge, experience and insights gained from many years working in the field of breast care and post-breast-surgery support.
The reception she received was wonderful, and her presentations were so well received that she was invited to give an additional presentation as well. Three presentations instead of two — an unexpected bonus!
Below are a few photographs from her visit, including some of the people she met along the way.
Longreach is right in the heart of Queensland's beef cattle country, where the landscape is vast and the distances between towns can be enormous. One of the sights associated with this region is the road train — a powerful prime mover pulling multiple trailers, sometimes two, three or even four, carrying cattle to market and processing facilities, with major transport routes connecting the region to centres such as Rockhampton and Brisbane.
It's a very different world from Brisbane, and a reminder of just how much ground people in regional Queensland cover to access services, share knowledge and support their communities.
All in all, it sounds as though Debra's trip was both productive and rewarding — and the extra presentation was a lovely acknowledgement of the value of the experience she was able to share.
Weekend 2
International Breast Cancer Congress in Brisbane
This was an amazing conference to attend. Debra met breast health care specialists from around the globe and learnt so much. She attended multiple workshops and forums and learnt the latest in quality health care for breast cancer patients. She came away very impressed with the global efforts in the field of Breast Health Care.
