We have just completed our second KDT Kimberley trip for 2018.
The July trip started from beautiful Broome on Sunday the 15th July
July 2018 Teams:
Week 1. The team arrived in the Kimberley on Saturday and overnighted in Broome. On Sunday all packed and keen we travelled the 7.5 hours across to Halls Creek where we were based for most of the week. The clinic at Halls Creek hospital was busy with patients on all our clinical days until our departure to Fitzroy on Thursday lunch time. On Tuesday and Wednesday small teams visited Red Hill school and also the Clontarf boys at Halls Creek District High School to provide dental health education and to screen the children. Once in Fitzroy on Thursday evening we set up camp and enjoyed the lovely balmy weather and wallabies bouncing around the camp site.
The July trip started from beautiful Broome on Sunday the 15th July
July 2018 Teams:
Week 1. The team arrived in the Kimberley on Saturday and overnighted in Broome. On Sunday all packed and keen we travelled the 7.5 hours across to Halls Creek where we were based for most of the week. The clinic at Halls Creek hospital was busy with patients on all our clinical days until our departure to Fitzroy on Thursday lunch time. On Tuesday and Wednesday small teams visited Red Hill school and also the Clontarf boys at Halls Creek District High School to provide dental health education and to screen the children. Once in Fitzroy on Thursday evening we set up camp and enjoyed the lovely balmy weather and wallabies bouncing around the camp site.
On Friday morning the team drove to Bayulu School and screened the children in readiness for our return visit in week 2. Many team members enjoyed a drive out to beautiful Geikie Gorge in the afternoon before a final camp dinner. Saturday morning saw the team head back to Broome to meet the incoming team and catch their afternoon flight home.
Dr Brian Hurwitz, Dr Errol Kilov, DA Ranae Russo, OHT Annabelle Crooke, Tracy Sandercock, final year dental student Lei Ng, Jan and John.
Week 2. Our final team for 2018 arrived in Broome on Saturday and enjoyed the sights of Broome and Cable Beach before heading to Fitzroy Crossing on Sunday to meet us and share a BBQ dinner of delicious Yeeda beef. On Monday we spent the day working in the Peoples Church building at the community of Junjuwa just outside Fitzroy. Tuesday we returned to Bayulu School to treat the children identified as being in need from our Friday screening. On Wednesday we packed up camp and headed to Muludja Community where we screened children and treated people before driving to Derby. Mowanjum Community was a Thursday clinic in the community hall where the team put in a busy day. After a half day rest we packed up our Derby camp and drove to Willare Roadhouse where we had lunch and set up camp before heading into Pandanus Park for a very productive afternoon clinic. After an early start on Saturday morning we got back to base in Broome in time to unpack and clean gear in readiness for 2019 trips before heading to the airport for flights back to chilly Perth.
Dr Andrew Heap, Dr Jenni Bowman, DA Ruth Warden, DA Giorgia Sabbattino, Sue Worsley, final year dental student Dr Charles Toh, Jan and John.
So ended another great year in the Kimberley. In July 2018, KDT provided oral health education and dental services for 260 people. The totals for 2018 trips were that we assisted 654 people over 668 visits in the Kimberley; 654 examinations, 174 extractions, 236 restorations, 106 scale and cleans, 46 fluoride treatments and 989 fissure seals and 4 partial dentures. This was over five clinical weeks with 31,000 kms of road covered in total in our four vehicles.
As we approach the end of our tenth year of KDT, we continue strong professional relationships with ADAWA which provides two scholarships to assist two of our four final year students, this year, Ida Khosraviani and Sharon Babic. Lei Ng was the recipient of the John Pritchard Memorial scholarship, which is a generous prize that supports a student in the Kimberley every year. Our fourth, final year student, Dr Charles Toh, received the inaugural, Richard Lockwood Foundation Award for Community Dental Volunteering. Dr Toh, although a final year dental student, is also a qualified medical practitioner, also through UWA. He hopes to continue on the pathway to become a specialist maxillofacial surgeon and we wish him well in this endeavour. It has been excellent to return to having four students per year as we did from 2011-2015 after reducing to three for two years.
Dental Health Services, continues their support with the provision of materials and use of their clinics in Balgo Hills and Halls Creek, WACHS with transporting our dental products and information and support remains strong from the International College of Dentists (ICD), Academy of Dentists International (ADI), DentiCare, SDI Limited and the West Australian Oral Health Improvement Unit. KDT is once again a recipient of a CBA Staff Grant, the CommBank Grassroots Grant for our Indigenous Youth program.
A very special thank you to our Foundation partners, the Rotary Clubs of Perth and Heirrison for their incredible support and to Rotaract for happily packing our toothbrushes into classroom ready packs, the McCusker Charitable Foundation, Lottery West, CBA and the WA Oral Health Improvement Unit. The Maven Group (previously Dental Partners) has been an exceptional supporter, not only financially but also providing professional personnel, having supported 35 volunteer dentists, nurses and therapists, over the past 7 years. This year’s volunteers were Dr Ioanna Millis and Ms Jamaica Appo in May and Dr Errol Kilov and Ms Annabelle Crooke, OHT, in the July trip.
Sadly we have really missed our KAMS ‘big’ dental truck which we helped obtain via a federal grant in 2011. We designed and built the mobile clinic in Perth for approximately 60% of what the equivalent vehicle would have cost commercially ($485.000 verses $750,000). We were very proud that over the years, KDT was able to provide over $400,000 of free dental care to Kimberley communities in this mobile clinic. However, even with lots of effort by ourselves, KAMS CEO and Council decided it was time to sell the vehicle, which we believe, has gone to a new home in the Eastern States.
Despite the loss of the truck, KDT teams continue to engage very effectively with remote communities, providing invaluable dental services in a friendly and happy team environment.
Evidence of the effectiveness of the tooth brushing and tooth paste program, Strong Teeth for Kimberley Kids, is now very clear in our treatment profile towards prevention. It is now firmly embedded in the hygiene and health mantra of eye, ear and oral health. Trish Pepper in Broome continues to administer the program through her vast network of teachers and health workers. To supplement this, we have always and continue to supply all patient’s households with toothbrushes and tooth paste for all the occupants of their house and always provide and show their relevant problem or our concerns diagrammatically using our [provided], Strong Teeth, Strong Body, Strong Mind, booklet.
KDT Southern:
As well as oral health education and dental treatment in the Kimberley our KDT Southern teams continue their activities in the Perth metropolitan area with visits to Devenish Lodge, UnitingCare West, Family Foundations and Foyer scheduled before the end of the year. A big thank you to our core of volunteers who help out at these sometimes, challenging sessions. If you would like to be involved in KDT Southern activities please email us to express your interest and availability and find out about the roster and scheduled visits for 2018 and 2019.
The Team spirit and untiring passion of our KDT volunteers and supporters is what makes this all possible – thank you.
We can never thank enough our fabulous volunteers, sponsors and supporters without whom these results could not be achieved over the past decade.
Follow our 2018 travels and adventures on the Craig the Croc Facebook page and see our team photos on the KDT website.
Jan and John Owen
Kimberley Dental Team
www.kimberleydentalteam.com
Dr Brian Hurwitz, Dr Errol Kilov, DA Ranae Russo, OHT Annabelle Crooke, Tracy Sandercock, final year dental student Lei Ng, Jan and John.
Week 2. Our final team for 2018 arrived in Broome on Saturday and enjoyed the sights of Broome and Cable Beach before heading to Fitzroy Crossing on Sunday to meet us and share a BBQ dinner of delicious Yeeda beef. On Monday we spent the day working in the Peoples Church building at the community of Junjuwa just outside Fitzroy. Tuesday we returned to Bayulu School to treat the children identified as being in need from our Friday screening. On Wednesday we packed up camp and headed to Muludja Community where we screened children and treated people before driving to Derby. Mowanjum Community was a Thursday clinic in the community hall where the team put in a busy day. After a half day rest we packed up our Derby camp and drove to Willare Roadhouse where we had lunch and set up camp before heading into Pandanus Park for a very productive afternoon clinic. After an early start on Saturday morning we got back to base in Broome in time to unpack and clean gear in readiness for 2019 trips before heading to the airport for flights back to chilly Perth.
Dr Andrew Heap, Dr Jenni Bowman, DA Ruth Warden, DA Giorgia Sabbattino, Sue Worsley, final year dental student Dr Charles Toh, Jan and John.
So ended another great year in the Kimberley. In July 2018, KDT provided oral health education and dental services for 260 people. The totals for 2018 trips were that we assisted 654 people over 668 visits in the Kimberley; 654 examinations, 174 extractions, 236 restorations, 106 scale and cleans, 46 fluoride treatments and 989 fissure seals and 4 partial dentures. This was over five clinical weeks with 31,000 kms of road covered in total in our four vehicles.
As we approach the end of our tenth year of KDT, we continue strong professional relationships with ADAWA which provides two scholarships to assist two of our four final year students, this year, Ida Khosraviani and Sharon Babic. Lei Ng was the recipient of the John Pritchard Memorial scholarship, which is a generous prize that supports a student in the Kimberley every year. Our fourth, final year student, Dr Charles Toh, received the inaugural, Richard Lockwood Foundation Award for Community Dental Volunteering. Dr Toh, although a final year dental student, is also a qualified medical practitioner, also through UWA. He hopes to continue on the pathway to become a specialist maxillofacial surgeon and we wish him well in this endeavour. It has been excellent to return to having four students per year as we did from 2011-2015 after reducing to three for two years.
Dental Health Services, continues their support with the provision of materials and use of their clinics in Balgo Hills and Halls Creek, WACHS with transporting our dental products and information and support remains strong from the International College of Dentists (ICD), Academy of Dentists International (ADI), DentiCare, SDI Limited and the West Australian Oral Health Improvement Unit. KDT is once again a recipient of a CBA Staff Grant, the CommBank Grassroots Grant for our Indigenous Youth program.
A very special thank you to our Foundation partners, the Rotary Clubs of Perth and Heirrison for their incredible support and to Rotaract for happily packing our toothbrushes into classroom ready packs, the McCusker Charitable Foundation, Lottery West, CBA and the WA Oral Health Improvement Unit. The Maven Group (previously Dental Partners) has been an exceptional supporter, not only financially but also providing professional personnel, having supported 35 volunteer dentists, nurses and therapists, over the past 7 years. This year’s volunteers were Dr Ioanna Millis and Ms Jamaica Appo in May and Dr Errol Kilov and Ms Annabelle Crooke, OHT, in the July trip.
Sadly we have really missed our KAMS ‘big’ dental truck which we helped obtain via a federal grant in 2011. We designed and built the mobile clinic in Perth for approximately 60% of what the equivalent vehicle would have cost commercially ($485.000 verses $750,000). We were very proud that over the years, KDT was able to provide over $400,000 of free dental care to Kimberley communities in this mobile clinic. However, even with lots of effort by ourselves, KAMS CEO and Council decided it was time to sell the vehicle, which we believe, has gone to a new home in the Eastern States.
Despite the loss of the truck, KDT teams continue to engage very effectively with remote communities, providing invaluable dental services in a friendly and happy team environment.
Evidence of the effectiveness of the tooth brushing and tooth paste program, Strong Teeth for Kimberley Kids, is now very clear in our treatment profile towards prevention. It is now firmly embedded in the hygiene and health mantra of eye, ear and oral health. Trish Pepper in Broome continues to administer the program through her vast network of teachers and health workers. To supplement this, we have always and continue to supply all patient’s households with toothbrushes and tooth paste for all the occupants of their house and always provide and show their relevant problem or our concerns diagrammatically using our [provided], Strong Teeth, Strong Body, Strong Mind, booklet.
KDT Southern:
As well as oral health education and dental treatment in the Kimberley our KDT Southern teams continue their activities in the Perth metropolitan area with visits to Devenish Lodge, UnitingCare West, Family Foundations and Foyer scheduled before the end of the year. A big thank you to our core of volunteers who help out at these sometimes, challenging sessions. If you would like to be involved in KDT Southern activities please email us to express your interest and availability and find out about the roster and scheduled visits for 2018 and 2019.
The Team spirit and untiring passion of our KDT volunteers and supporters is what makes this all possible – thank you.
We can never thank enough our fabulous volunteers, sponsors and supporters without whom these results could not be achieved over the past decade.
Follow our 2018 travels and adventures on the Craig the Croc Facebook page and see our team photos on the KDT website.
Jan and John Owen
Kimberley Dental Team
www.kimberleydentalteam.com
