Had it not been for a decision in 1985 to keep the bulldozers out of Twizel, the area of land that is now the doctor's surgery and for that matter the town that is now home to 1,200 residents would be reclaimed as part of the MacKenzie high country. Destruction of the town (the trees were to remain) would have reintegrated the site to the vast flat expanse of nothing, home to Merino sheep, parched in the summer and a soulless place in winter. A campaign 30 years ago by those residents who wished to remain in Twizel, having been drafted in a few years before to help with construction of New Zealand's most ambitious hydro-electric scheme, was resoundingly successful. Nowadays, this thriving little community is the service town nearest to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. The summer population swells to three times normal with visitors to this region. For a town that was due for the chop, Twizel has become attractive for second home buyers, drawn to the area by boating and fishing on man-made lakes, skiing, tramping and a decent summer climate. The biblical phrase 'I lift mine eyes to the hills' has good effect here as - on a clear day anyhow - mountain ranges surround the town : to the west and north the Ben Ohau Range, to the east the Rollesby Range and to the south the Benmore Range.

Lesley's duty for 4 weeks until 28th February as a locum GP is to make up the compliment of two doctors at the surgery. The practice really needs a second permanent doctor, but as usual the out of city vacancies are hard to fill. She works full time Monday to Thursday with on call Monday and Tuesday evening and overnight 5pm till 8am. We are living not quite over the shop but beside it……five paces away…..our spacious three bedroomed house casts a shadow over the surgery building and vice versa. One rather interesting result of this proximity is that she can look out of her surgery window and see me hanging up the washing J

Within an hour of her first on call the pager jangles alarmingly. It is a call to Mount Cook Village, 45 minutes drive north, to see a 67 year old gentleman, reasonably well attired for walking at 1,800m/6,000ft who has been helicoptered off the mountain with hypothermia and hypoglycaemia. His temperature when the mountain rescue team reached him was 28.5 degrees and he was unconscious. While the mountain rescue team can administer first response treatment at the scene, a doctor is required at base station in case of complications. Lesley is given a lift from Twizel in the ambulance, so the medical staff coverage is quite considerable. The patient recovers rapidly with a dose of glucose and in the warm rescue headquarters, but nonetheless is dispatched by helicopter to Christchurch for overnight assessment. He'll recover to tell the story.

As I post this blog, it's Lesley's second Monday in Twizel, on call again and so far it's all quiet on the pager front……..time to read the Sunday papers…..and hopefully get a good night's sleep later. Ask her about tonight's spaghetti bolognaise dinner……top class restaurant quality on the table at 6pm as required!