0:00:34 > 0:00:37Two years ago, Dr Mary Fortune,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40an experienced GP from the Scottish Highlands,
0:00:40 > 0:00:45promised to return to Australia to work for three months in Aboriginal health care.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Based at an Aboriginal clinic in Kununurra,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Mary soon discovered the shocking state of Aboriginal health,
0:00:53 > 0:00:58many struck down with preventable Third-World diseases.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01These bugs come into the body, they go down,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03get into the heart, bang, time bomb.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07And you do wonder how that can happen in a country like this.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12She was horrified by the conditions in the Aboriginal housing estates...
0:01:12 > 0:01:16I'm really sort of struggling here, to understand how...
0:01:16 > 0:01:18how this situation has come about.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22..leaving her feeling confused and looking for answers.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Your head just goes round and round and round the whole time,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29thinking "Why? Why has this situation got so bad?"
0:01:36 > 0:01:38It's early afternoon in the OVAHS clinic,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and Mary is in between surgeries.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Is this guy OK?
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Hi there. Hello.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Did he collapse on the floor?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59He just went down there.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01What's his name?
0:02:01 > 0:02:07'So I was quite shocked, because you know, if this was in my surgery at home,'
0:02:07 > 0:02:10if somebody was on the floor, somebody would come to the desk
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and say, "Excuse me, there's a chap lying on the floor."
0:02:13 > 0:02:18And somebody would immediately rush out to check that the chap's breathing and that he's fine,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20'and that he's not in trouble.'
0:02:20 > 0:02:22What's wrong with you, hey?
0:02:23 > 0:02:26It's actually his birthday today
0:02:26 > 0:02:29so he's had quite a few drinks this morning.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34And nice and cool and a bit quiet in here, so good place to sleep it off.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40'Here, it seems that was perfectly acceptable for everybody to
0:02:40 > 0:02:42'see this drunk man lying.'
0:02:42 > 0:02:47Now, eventually he would have been picked up and taken home, but the fact was
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'he'd been lying there for about five minutes.'
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Might grab a wheelchair for him, eh?
0:02:53 > 0:02:57'Obviously, I can only assume that it is the norm.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59'People see it, they accept it, and...'
0:03:01 > 0:03:03..that's it.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10From a distance, Kununurra, the capital of the vast Kimberley region of Western Australia,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13looks like any other small bush town.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Close up, it appears prosperous and comfortable.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22For six months of the year, a haven for adventure tourists.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25But this town has a major problem.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29It's awash with alcohol.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35The small, mixed population of 8,000 have three liquor stores to choose from,
0:03:35 > 0:03:36two of them drive-through.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42The taxi services are on constant standby for booze runs.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Most customers buy in cartons, containing 30 cans of strong beer.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52An increase in consumption sees an increase in the through-put of patients
0:03:52 > 0:03:56at the OVAHS clinic with alcohol-related problems.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58What were you addicted to?
0:03:58 > 0:04:00About everything, yeah.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01What, alcohol?
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Alcohol, drugs. But mainly alcohol. I was bad.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- How much do you drink? - Ohh...
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- Too much, you said.- Too much.
0:04:09 > 0:04:15I was drinking basically a carton, up to two cartons a day.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Which is about, what, 60...
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Yeah, 60 VBs, red cans. Whatever I could get my hands on.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22Three bottles.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23Of wine?
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Yeah. Just the wine, not beer.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27What? 90 cans?
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Yeah, I was pretty bad, eh?
0:04:29 > 0:04:30- What, in a day?- Yeah.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35So you think, by not drinking VB and going onto Moselle wine,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38that's better for you?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Is it? Sort of?
0:04:40 > 0:04:44- Yeah.- Well, can I tell you, it's not.- Yeah.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are endemic,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52with the Aboriginal population hardest hit,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56affecting all age groups, including unborn children.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02A government report estimates that alcohol-related deaths
0:05:02 > 0:05:06can be up to 19 times higher for indigenous Australians.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12Since starting work at Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16or OVAHS, just four weeks ago, Mary has heard many tragic stories
0:05:16 > 0:05:20from patients and Aboriginal staff working at the clinic.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24So he wanted to stab me. He wanted to finish me completely.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26He grabbed the knife
0:05:26 > 0:05:28and he stabbed me in the head.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- In the head?- Mmm.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35He had an argument with his family, and they couldn't buy him drink.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37So he come back and took it out on me.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40My uncle was abusing me.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Used to lock me up in a little shed, and flog me
0:05:42 > 0:05:45so hard I used to piss myself and shit myself.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Why was that?
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Cos he was an alcoholic, abusive old man himself, and yeah.
0:05:50 > 0:05:57First cousin of mine, Golden Glove boxer, he was a welfare case.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01He was finally returned home to his mother and his sisters.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Couldn't believe the violence and how they lived,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08how he spent the first 18 years of his life quite a different setting,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11released or sent back home. You know, you're 18, you're old enough now.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Three months after living with his own family,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18in that sort of situation, where there's so much alcohol, not much food, overcrowding,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21fight every day of your life, and he's hung himself.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26So everyone... This is nothing new. Everyone's got their own little horror story like that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Coming to grips with the scale of the problem is difficult
0:06:30 > 0:06:35for a new doctor, and Mary is keen to see what, if anything, is being done.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46In Kununurra, night or day, the party goes on.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49SHOUTING AND SINGING
0:06:53 > 0:06:55We'll pick up now.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Mary is on the front line, on the nightly patrol bus,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02scouring the streets for drunk and vulnerable people.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05We're having a bit of food right now.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Right here, this is my brother.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Our people, this is our town, Kununurra.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21But in blackfella name is Gananoorrang...
0:07:21 > 0:07:25and this is the bus that picks us up.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Run to take us home.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Thank you very much.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36The service was set up by Aboriginals,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40concerned for the well-being of their own people.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Certainly building up here.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- A lot of tension out there, isn't there?- Yeah.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50We've had some wild... wild brawls in this bus.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- Wild bulls?- Brawls.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Committed volunteer and Aboriginal elder, Eric Lawford,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00has been in charge of the Sober Up Bus for nine years,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04driving and supervising almost every night.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08- You must see some terrible sights at times, do you? - Yeah, we did, I did.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14Do you think the situation's worse now than it was nine years ago?
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Yeah, it's getting worse.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17It's getting worse.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20But we do our best.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27The Sober Up Shelter is on the edge of town,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and, like the patrol bus, is run by Aboriginal volunteers.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34The shelter has very basic facilities
0:08:34 > 0:08:39and can only provide accommodation for 16 men and six women.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Without the service,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45many could end up in trouble with the authorities.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48The local prison population is around 80% indigenous,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52with most crimes alcohol-related,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54and there is a long history of brutality
0:08:54 > 0:08:58and Aboriginal deaths in police custody.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Are you not worried about your nephew in the state that he's in?
0:09:01 > 0:09:06Now that you're sounding sober, can you not speak to him? When he's sober?
0:09:09 > 0:09:14- HE SPEAKS GIBBERISH - Ah, nonsense. No, he doesn't, no, no.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16He's absolutely sozzled.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19UNINTELLIGIBLE SPEECH
0:09:22 > 0:09:25The volunteers are totally committed,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29but Eric knows full well the limitations of the service.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32There's no help when you walk through the back door.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Like you know, for rehab, or, um...
0:09:34 > 0:09:37health workers visiting them
0:09:37 > 0:09:41during the day or talking to them.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44It's got to be people like you, Eric, to say "Look,
0:09:44 > 0:09:49"have any of you doctors been down to the Sobering Up Shelter
0:09:49 > 0:09:51"to see exactly what's happening?"
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- Have any doctors been down?- No.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59But you need community psychiatric workers to be there to help them.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04I think that something very positive could be done from the OVAHS centre. Yeah.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08My God, look at him, walking along the middle of the road. Jesus.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23One of the regulars is keen to meet Mary.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Moses Karadada is a known alcoholic,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30and familiar face in the Sober Up Shelter.
0:10:30 > 0:10:36So we're just here to see what happens when the clients come in.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40- Yeah, cup of tea. - Have a shower.- Have a cup of tea. Yeah, have a shower...
0:10:40 > 0:10:44He comes from the small alcohol-free community of Kalumburu,
0:10:44 > 0:10:46300 kilometres away.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Moses, like many of his tribe,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55travels to towns like Kununurra, where alcohol is freely available.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- Moses?- What? Oh, sorry.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01How much have you had to drink today?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03No, only about...
0:11:04 > 0:11:05Roughly?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- Roughly.- Roughly.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- Probably a carton. - A carton. Is that 30 cans?
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- Yeah.- Is that a lot for you?
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Oh, no, not a lot. Not a lot.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21But I realise now I just want to go to...
0:11:21 > 0:11:22To stop?
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- To stop.- Yeah, I understand.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27If you can help me out then.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Why don't you, um, come to the OVAHS centre...
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- Tomorrow?- Tomorrow.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38And we can check you over, see if your liver is damaged
0:11:38 > 0:11:44- and see if we can get you into a rehabilitation unit.- Yep.
0:11:44 > 0:11:51I'm trying my best to go to rebilly... what you call it now?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- To rehabilitation.- Yes.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- Just call it detox. It's easier. - Yeah.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- Detox means taking the poisons out of your body.- Yep.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- Staying off alcohol. - I really want to do that.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18The day begins at first light.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23As the alcoholic haze begins to lift,
0:12:23 > 0:12:28last night's drunks come face to face with the real world.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32They would just put you in the lock-up for the night?
0:12:32 > 0:12:34- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39So really, this place is a safe house, really, for everybody,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- for lots of reasons, yeah. - This place, yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47How are you this morning? Are you feeling rough?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- Yeah.- Are you?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I was too drunk to walk back home.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- You were too drunk?- Yeah, to walk back home.- Yeah?
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The patrons are encouraged to leave by 7am,
0:12:58 > 0:13:03to help the staff prepare for the night ahead.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Annie O'Malley has over 20 years' experience working in Aboriginal organisations
0:13:07 > 0:13:10and has been the manager here for the last nine months.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14And this is the females'. Much nicer, I reckon, the females' one.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Yeah, it's got a little bit of pink.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Yeah, we try and make the ladies' ones a bit nicer
0:13:20 > 0:13:22because, I don't know, I reckon the ladies...
0:13:22 > 0:13:24- Deserve it.- Yeah.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- Very basic, but it's a shelter, isn't it, and that's what it is. - Yeah.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30A safe haven, yeah.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35The Sober Up shelter gets by on a shoestring budget,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39but in recent times, the funding has been under huge pressure,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42stretching paid staff like Annie to the limit.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The rising costs, everybody's suffering with that,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49but the funding body thinks, "Well, we should still give you
0:13:49 > 0:13:52"the same amount of money we gave you five, ten years ago."
0:13:52 > 0:13:54We're still getting that same amount of money.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57It doesn't allow for... Electricity's going up here.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02You know, we might need more, you know, warm things.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04The men haven't even got a hot water shower
0:14:04 > 0:14:07because the solar thing's busted now for nearly two years.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Nobody's been... So nobody's done...
0:14:10 > 0:14:12And when you work here as a manager
0:14:12 > 0:14:17and you try and, you know, lift things up...
0:14:17 > 0:14:18Yeah.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Who the hell cares? - Who the hell cares?
0:14:22 > 0:14:27The people Annie cares for only care about their next drink,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30fifteen minutes' walk away in the centre of town.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Without professional intervention,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36the 24-hour cycle starts all over again.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Even as a professional working in the field,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Annie is all too aware of the alcohol demons afflicting her race.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50- You were in a very low spot in your life as well, weren't you?- Yeah.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Um, I got to a stage where I was drinking fruity.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59- What's that?- That's that wine, you know, in the cask thing.
0:14:59 > 0:15:038 in Perth, you know, you get that.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08And me and my sister-in-law was drinking nearly every day
0:15:08 > 0:15:09and one day my son said, I said,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11"Oh, anyway, what do you want to take to school?"
0:15:11 > 0:15:15And he said, "Why don't I just take your fruity then, Mum," he said.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- "Yeah," he said, "cos we got - BLEEP- all else in the house."
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- How old was he when he said that? - And he was only ten then. Right.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23So that was the turning point?
0:15:23 > 0:15:27- Oh, yeah.- And you've been sober for four years?- Well, I still drink.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Like, I have my occasional drink, yeah, but...
0:15:29 > 0:15:33- But you're not an alcoholic. - No, I'm not letting it rule my life.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Not letting, you know, drink take over.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38I still go to work, I still maintain my house,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41make sure my kids are fed, you know?
0:15:44 > 0:15:50Annie changed her life around on her own, but others need a helping hand.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Mary's brief intervention with Moses has brought him to the clinic.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01After a health check with the nurse, Moses is on the prowl,
0:16:01 > 0:16:02looking for Mary.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Did you want to have... What did you want to do? Yeah, OK.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Just in here, mate. This is Mary's room.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Oh, here's the man.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19- Here's the man.- How are you? - I'm fine. Have a seat.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23I saw you on...oh, goodness,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Tuesday night at the Sobering Up Shelter.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31"Oh, yes, Mrs, I'll come and see you tomorrow."
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Well, you're two days late!
0:16:33 > 0:16:40- No, I...forgot.- I'm going to give you my watch. It's got a date on it.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48- Where have you been?- The truth is I went to, ah, Glenhill.- Glenhill.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52- Not Glenhill, Wave Hill.- Wave Hill? - Yes.- And what were you doing there?
0:16:52 > 0:16:57Oh, was just...up there for a couple of days.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02- Not couple of days, but for a day and...- And?- Came back.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06- And what happened when you were there?- Well, I...
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Now... that... but...
0:17:08 > 0:17:13- Got a couple of booze, and... - Uh-huh. And?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- Started drinking.- Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- And you had a good time? - Yeah, well...
0:17:20 > 0:17:27And then I started realising I was, you know, I was a...
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- A bad boy.- Yeah.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Do you know, you're just full of flannel, aren't ya?
0:17:33 > 0:17:35No, but I made my promise.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37You made your promise and you have come,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- and I'm delighted that you've come.- Thank you.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44Moses, when was the last time you ever went to a doctor's surgery?
0:17:44 > 0:17:49Oh, about, ah, 2000.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Ten years ago, yeah. What was that for?
0:17:52 > 0:17:56- Oh, for my abscess. My eye. - An abscess.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01So you don't suffer from diabetes, or have any heart problems, or anything?
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I had, when I was in prison, I was a big fella,
0:18:04 > 0:18:09but had diabetes.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- Did you?- But I beat that.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19Right. So really the main object of you coming today is that we want
0:18:19 > 0:18:20to see if we can help you,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23because I know that you really want to stop drinking.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26- Yes, please. Yeah.- Definitely.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31Since his introduction to alcohol as a teenager, Moses has had a troubled
0:18:31 > 0:18:36and eventful life, with one incident leaving a brutal legacy.
0:18:36 > 0:18:411983, see my face.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43I was driving a car.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49Not far from my turn-off, I rolled over
0:18:49 > 0:18:55and part of my face got smashed,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and my nose was open.
0:18:58 > 0:19:04- That's from alcohol, driving with... - Drunk?- Yes. Really drunk.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Do you remember the crash?
0:19:09 > 0:19:14I killed some people too, but the families here, they forgive me.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21- And how do you feel about it now? - I regret it.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25And I apologise for that, for my... What I did.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30But it's OK.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34That was a long time ago.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37But I still got it in my mind.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38And I realise.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Moses is one of the lucky ones.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53Death from road traffic injury is up to 30% higher for Aboriginals
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and is the third most common cause of alcohol-related death
0:19:57 > 0:20:00after cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Dealing with alcohol-related medical issues is time-consuming,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10taking doctors away from other needy patients.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13But Mary must act quickly to help Moses keep his momentum.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19So Moses, I've spoken to Jane and she's going to have a word with you.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22- Yeah.- And we're going to get you organised and...
0:20:22 > 0:20:29Next door is the Social Support Unit, an integral part of the OVAHS clinic,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and the start of Moses' long journey to sobriety.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37- We've got an appointment with Jane. - Oh, yes.- So can we just pop through? - Yeah, just go through.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41But even rehabilitation can be a repeat prescription.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Hi, Jane.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46- Do you recognise this man? - Yes, I do.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Jane Beckman is a registered psychiatric nurse,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51experienced in rehab and detox referrals.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58The vast Kimberley region has only two small rehab units,
0:20:58 > 0:21:03and Jane can liaise with them to find Moses a suitable placement,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06both knowing it's a 13-week, alcohol-free commitment.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Yep, no, that's... Good on you, Moses, that's great.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- Be a role model for your community. - Thank you.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16This is the million dollar question. What is the waiting time?
0:21:16 > 0:21:21Well, usually, it's sort of around about three weeks,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24but that's from when you have the telephone interview.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27So it's about a week or a week and a half
0:21:27 > 0:21:29between when we put the referral in
0:21:29 > 0:21:31and they talk to you on the telephone.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36And then after that it's usually around three or four weeks, I find.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38- But it could be longer, could be shorter.- Yeah.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41You'll definitely get a place, but like I said to you...
0:21:41 > 0:21:47- My people are dying quickly from alcohol.- Absolutely.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52And there's nothing to stop them, you know?
0:21:52 > 0:21:58- It's important to get things moving as quick as possible.- No worries.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02OK, sir. Thank you very much, Jane. That was really helpful.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04But Moses has another surprise.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08He's from a family of famous tribal artists.
0:22:08 > 0:22:15- That's my... That's my auntie.- Your auntie?- Lily. That's the wandjina.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21- They're spirit people, aren't they, Moses, yeah.- Yeah.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23But Lily's a very famous artist.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- She's in some of the biggest galleries in the world.- Really?- Mmm.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32- Can you paint?- I can paint. Can you? Yeah.- Are you famous?
0:22:32 > 0:22:37I'm not really famous like my auntie.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Would you do a painting for me?
0:22:40 > 0:22:44- I can do it, if you want to.- Thank you. That would be fantastic.- OK.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Thanks. Listen, cheers. Thank you very much. That's great.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54- Another problem solved.- OK, Moses. Good on ya.- Come with me, sir.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Thank you.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Moses may have up to four weeks of drinking time left
0:22:58 > 0:23:01before the start of rehab.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- Is there no way of speeding it up? - Well, we wish. - He would go in tomorrow.- I know.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06That would be ideal, but they...
0:23:06 > 0:23:11I suppose to some extent, if people have a bit of a wait time,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14they have to really make up their mind they're serious about it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18But easier access would be a benefit.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Nobody knows how many Aboriginals live in Kununurra,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26but estimates range from 1,000 to 3,000.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33Many, like Moses, drift around looking for cheap, strong alcohol,
0:23:33 > 0:23:38an increasing problem for the small bush town, beginning decades ago.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47The town of Kununurra is only 50 years old, built to service
0:23:47 > 0:23:50a massive irrigation project in the mid '60s.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Keeping pace with the progress of the Ord Diversion Dam
0:23:54 > 0:23:58is the town of Kununurra, a native word meaning big waters.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Its homes are cool and modern, and its people, much the same.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09The futuristic project attracted the attentions of international figures
0:24:09 > 0:24:13of the day, but was seen by others as an act of social
0:24:13 > 0:24:15and environmental vandalism.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20The flooding dispossessed and dislodged
0:24:20 > 0:24:23the Aboriginal communities, forcing them off their land.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28The new incomers transformed the region, promising wealth
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and prosperity, as hailed by Robert Menzies,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33the Prime Minister of the day.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38This is the most exciting place in Australia at this moment.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45The propaganda films sold the dream of a privileged, affluent community.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49But after 50 years of growth and expansion, many Aboriginals
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and their communities, who make up half the population,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55remain locked in a cycle of social depravation.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06The chief executive of the OVAHS clinic
0:25:06 > 0:25:09knows he is now dealing with the end results.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12The collective needs of Aboriginal people
0:25:12 > 0:25:14have been left and left and left.
0:25:14 > 0:25:20I mean, I think that there was an ABC Four Corners report in 1970...
0:25:20 > 0:25:25In the late '70s, where it said, "Look at this," and there were men,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29women and children sitting there with absolutely nothing, with not a...
0:25:29 > 0:25:34With a bit of tin over their heads, and it was just, "Oh, right,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38"well, that's the Aboriginal people. This is how they are."
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Cos there's still people living in Third-World conditions today,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48you know what I mean? You still have people living in, you know, a shed.
0:25:52 > 0:25:5840 years of poor housing, bad health, mass unemployment,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01welfare handouts and social exclusion
0:26:01 > 0:26:06amid prosperous surroundings has created a lethal cocktail,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10leaving the health care workers of today to pick up the pieces.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Mary is on her way to visit one of the rehab units
0:26:17 > 0:26:20in the small, remote town of Wyndham, in East Kimberley,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22115 kilometres north of Kununurra.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Here we are. Oh, my God.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31This can't be the right place, is it?
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Oh, jeepers.
0:26:39 > 0:26:45It looks like a workers' camp, in the middle of the desert.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50Can you imagine arriving here for detox?
0:26:53 > 0:26:58"Intoxicated persons will not be allowed access to the centre."
0:27:02 > 0:27:06The unit was purpose-built in the mid '90s to help stem
0:27:06 > 0:27:08the growing alcohol epidemic.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Since opening, the unit has struggled for funding
0:27:11 > 0:27:14and been forced to shut on several occasions.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I have to say, I was a bit shocked when I saw it.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21The centre is now undergoing a major facelift
0:27:21 > 0:27:25and adding a much-needed specialist detox unit
0:27:25 > 0:27:28under the guidance of manager, Kathy Broadbent.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32It isn't a boot camp. What's happened is we've had major refurbishment done.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37It's been going on for the last two years. So in a way, it is like...
0:27:37 > 0:27:41It's a working camp, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46I'm assuming it's predominantly indigenous people that you have coming through this unit.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Yeah, 99% indigenous.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51I mean, this facility covers the whole of the East Kimberley.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52That's what I was...
0:27:54 > 0:27:57And in the Kimberly, you've got the highest addiction rate
0:27:57 > 0:27:59probably in the whole of Australia.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04- Yeah.- So why has it taken this length of time for people to say,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09"Let's have a detox unit on our doorstep so that we can let people, you know, not have to go..."
0:28:09 > 0:28:12It has taken... It's been too long, yes.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15What is the success rate, truly?
0:28:15 > 0:28:19What is the success rate of detox the first time in your...?
0:28:19 > 0:28:24I worked in rehab detox in Alice Springs
0:28:24 > 0:28:29and I'd say the first time, first time, about 5%.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34- The idea is actually there's got to be some hope at the end of it. - Oh, yes, never ever give up.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37You've got to actually keep that ahead of you, in front of you,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40at all times and think that there have been people here
0:28:40 > 0:28:42that actually have come through.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Aiming to be one of Wyndham's 5% success stories
0:28:52 > 0:28:54is 22-year-old Leah Kingsley.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Leah has travelled to the OVAHS Clinic for a series of blood tests
0:29:00 > 0:29:04relating to personal issues and a general consultation.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08- And you're in Wyndham? - Yeah, Wyndham settlement.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10So what are you doing there?
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Well, I'm trying to get my life back on track.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Like stop drinking and smoking.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22I just started to realise that, you know, I started getting these pains
0:29:22 > 0:29:26sometimes in my heart, you know, just slight little thing.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31And I knew something was wrong, you know.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Leah is part of a growing band of disaffected young Aboriginal people.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40The story of her life is a familiar theme to OVAHS health care workers -
0:29:40 > 0:29:45drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse and violence.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50- Were you fighting?- And plus that too.- Did you do a lot of fighting?
0:29:50 > 0:29:55- Yeah, they said I punched a policeman.- Did you?
0:29:55 > 0:29:58- Can you remember that? - I can't remember doing it,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01but that's what they said I'd done, you know, when I was drunk.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05But I didn't know what I was doing, you know.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09- Do you regret that now?- Yeah.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Embarrassing, yeah.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Leah's chaotic life reached a critical point
0:30:17 > 0:30:19with the loss of an unborn child.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24- How many weeks pregnant were you? - 13 weeks, they said.- Oh, goodness.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30- Yeah, that's...- And how do you feel?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33- I felt angry and everything.- Mm-hm.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38- Soon as my mum passed away I wanted to suicide, you know?- Mmm.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41I tried that two times.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44One, I wanted to hang myself.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Wanted to overdose...in the shower.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53You know, locked myself in there and took all the tablets.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Then ring the doctor, everything, ambulance.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59So you actually took the tablets, yeah?
0:30:59 > 0:31:05- I was on the ground when they bust through the door, you know.- Mm-hmm.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09So you've really had a hell of a life so far, haven't you?
0:31:11 > 0:31:14But you know, the very positive thing
0:31:14 > 0:31:17is that you have taken it upon yourself
0:31:17 > 0:31:22to ask or to be offered rehab,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25and now you've taken that opportunity up.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31And, you know, this is not going to be easy. You know that, don't you?
0:31:31 > 0:31:33It's not going to be easy,
0:31:33 > 0:31:37but YOU have got the determination to do it, haven't you?
0:31:39 > 0:31:42You're going to have me crying too, honey.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48Here.
0:31:53 > 0:31:54You take your time.
0:32:00 > 0:32:01Do you know, that's...
0:32:04 > 0:32:06You're not meant to make the doctor cry!
0:32:06 > 0:32:08That story.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20Yeah, I never told anybody about this, you know.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Have you never spoken about this before?
0:32:23 > 0:32:24No.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30But you know, it's a very, very good thing to talk about things.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Yeah.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41And sometimes it's really difficult, you know,
0:32:41 > 0:32:46- to open your heart to a complete stranger.- Yeah.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And, you know, what you've done today is,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52you must be one very strong lady to be able to do that.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57Leah will have to return soon for the results of her tests,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01but in the meantime, Mary can offer further support.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I don't want to feel as if I'd be intruding,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06but I could come up and visit you in Wyndham,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08- if that would be all right.- Yeah.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10That'll be good.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13'I was very moved, because I was thinking,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18'"Here's a lassie, she's only 15 when this started,"'
0:33:18 > 0:33:20"and I know that there's thousands of people like her."
0:33:20 > 0:33:23It's this way. Here we go.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28'I'd really like to make her feel special as an individual,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32'you know, because I don't think she's ever felt special in her life
0:33:32 > 0:33:35'and, you know, sometimes you have to just go the extra mile
0:33:35 > 0:33:37'with people to make them feel comfortable,
0:33:37 > 0:33:42'to make them feel that people are actually interested in them.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45'And to give 'em that encouragement and say, "Look, well done.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47'"Keep going. You can do it."'
0:33:47 > 0:33:49See you.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Leah is not alone in her struggle.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03Mary has met many others desperately trying to keep their demons at bay.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07- I was a... I was an alcoholic myself. - Were you?
0:34:08 > 0:34:10But I gave it up, all that.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15I just chuck it away, because my grandchildren came up.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16I just...
0:34:16 > 0:34:20I made my mind up and just said, "No, I'm not drinking any more."
0:34:20 > 0:34:23I stopped. That was three years ago.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- So you actually did your own detox? - Yeah.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28- In prison?- Yeah, by myself.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33The only way that you're going to...make things brighter
0:34:33 > 0:34:36and bigger is change yourself.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39And that's what I believe in.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44The future can only be changed if we change ourselves.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48I want to go home and have another bucket now.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50SHE LAUGHS
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Kill my hangover.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57- Only joking.- Have you got a hangover?- Yeah, I've got a hangover.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00- Did you drink throughout your pregnancies?- Yeah.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03And smoked drugs through my pregnancy,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06right up till I went into the labour ward.
0:35:06 > 0:35:07SHE LAUGHS
0:35:07 > 0:35:11The OVAHS clinic is facing another alcohol epidemic,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15but this time the victims are innocent unborn babies.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19OVAHS is one of the first clinics in Australia
0:35:19 > 0:35:22to tackle Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
0:35:22 > 0:35:26and have a dedicated programme reaching out to pregnant mothers.
0:35:28 > 0:35:29There we go.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Visiting paediatrician, Dr Sheveta Patel
0:35:33 > 0:35:35and her colleagues run a monthly clinic.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Many of their patients, like this two-year-old boy,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41are brain-damaged as a consequence of the condition.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43You're doing a grand job in looking after him.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46'His mother drank very heavily in pregnancy,'
0:35:46 > 0:35:47his mother, biological mother,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50had actually been murdered by her partner,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53and he's now being raised by his biological grandmother
0:35:53 > 0:35:55'and her partner.'
0:35:55 > 0:35:57How many words is he saying?
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Oh...two, anyway.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Maybe he might be putting three together.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04'Fortunately he's come into a very good home
0:36:04 > 0:36:07'and he's getting all the stimulation he needs,
0:36:07 > 0:36:12'and his development is progressing quite well, despite his condition.'
0:36:12 > 0:36:14- He says hello.- Very good.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19- So we'll plan that we see you again in probably three to six months.- Yep.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20- That'd be great.- OK.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25'So this is a condition that's prevalent in this region
0:36:25 > 0:36:29'which we're trying to target and reduce the future frequency of.'
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Hello. Hello.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Hey, look what happened to me.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41I had a baby overnight, ladies.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44- What age did you have your babies? - I started when I was 17.- 17.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46- And I was 18.- 18.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50My two eldest ones are 11 months apart.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Gee, that's close.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54What, is there no good telly in Kununurra?
0:36:54 > 0:36:57No, I was out in a remote community.
0:36:57 > 0:36:58Oh, right.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00LAUGHTER
0:37:00 > 0:37:01And there's no telly!
0:37:01 > 0:37:04LAUGHTER CONTINUES
0:37:04 > 0:37:07There's nothing else to do out there, eh?
0:37:07 > 0:37:09You know, you've just gone slightly pink.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12LAUGHTER
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Hey!
0:37:15 > 0:37:17- Don't ever do that- BLEEP.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26BLEEP
0:37:29 > 0:37:32For those already growing up in a world of social mayhem
0:37:32 > 0:37:37and addiction, bereft of leadership and good example,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40the road ahead is unbearably predictable.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47I've got a cousin that comes here. He's younger than me, looks old.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49And that's what I say to him. I say, "Why do you drink, bub?"
0:37:49 > 0:37:52"Oh, man's business, eh?" You know.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56So just brushes us aside, stuff like that. And I don't want to see that.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00I don't want to see any of my kids come to this place, you know?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- That's why I want to see change before- I- die,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06but I don't think that'll happen.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09This'll still be the same in another 20 years.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Why is it still the same? I mean...
0:38:12 > 0:38:18Yeah, look, before, when I was younger, my mum was never a drinker.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20Nor was my father. Them two wasn't drinkers.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24I've noticed that Kununurra has become a place where,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28I don't know, all our young kids want to be either gangsters, drinkers.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31If they don't drink straight rum, you're not a man, you know?
0:38:31 > 0:38:35This is the thing that happens out there. I've got a 16-year-old son.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36I had to take him when he was 15.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39They nearly killed him, making him drink straight rum.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42And I said to him, "What was you doing?"
0:38:42 > 0:38:45And he said, "Oh, but I want to be like them, Mum." "What, dead?"
0:38:45 > 0:38:47He said, "No, I can go and hang myself to do that."
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Almost half of Aboriginal suicides are alcohol-related,
0:38:53 > 0:38:58and Aboriginal males are 35 times more likely
0:38:58 > 0:39:01to take their own lives than their non-indigenous counterparts,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05with the average age of suicide just 28.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Since Mary's started work at the OVAHS clinic,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16she has experienced several days
0:39:16 > 0:39:20when the Aboriginal staff and patients failed to appear.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24But chairwoman of the OVAHS board, Myrtle Ward, is the exception.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29Each and every one of us are relative. We all relative.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31- We all relations.- Extended family.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Extended family, and people from all over the Kimberleys come in
0:39:35 > 0:39:37and pay their respect to the person that has passed away.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40And as you know, since you've been here,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43- we've had lots and lots of funerals. - Oh, it's been tragic.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48But everybody is related to somebody in this community,
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and it's only the respect that we show
0:39:50 > 0:39:52as Aboriginal people to one another.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57Is there a timescale where you must be...?
0:39:57 > 0:39:59- Um...- Grieving?- Grieving?
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Grieving don't stop there. Grieving still continues on.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06- On and on.- And they usually stay for four, five to ten rains, you got.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10You can't call this person's name for five to ten rains.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13And if you got a nickname for that person that's passed on,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15then you just use the nickname.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- Right.- But you grieve all along. You never stop grieving, my dear.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22- Never stop. You never stop grieving. - No, no.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25I lost a son.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29It's ten years since I lost my baby, my son, through suicide.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32There's never a day goes by that I don't stop grieving for him.
0:40:32 > 0:40:38But he has a birthday, and he has a date of death.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42The date of death is the saddest time for me. Except for his birthday.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46We celebrate his birthday. He has two children who celebrate his birthday.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48They share his chocolate cake every year.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52- I've never stopped grieving for him. - Never.- So, never.
0:40:53 > 0:40:54That's it.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09- Life goes on. We in the world must go on.- Mmm.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16Life does carry on.
0:41:16 > 0:41:22But for Mary, it's another familiar face from her night out.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24There we go, sir. Now then...
0:41:27 > 0:41:28Did you fall on this?
0:41:29 > 0:41:30My daughter hit me.
0:41:30 > 0:41:36Your daughter hit you? Oh, God, what did she hit you with, an axe?
0:41:36 > 0:41:42What do you call them, for when you get your tucker?
0:41:42 > 0:41:44- Mm-hm. Your tucker?- Yeah, that's it.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45What, a knife?
0:41:47 > 0:41:52- A box?- Yeah.- What, a metal plate? - Yeah, that's right.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57A frying pan? She hit you with a frying pan?!
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Um, Archie. Is that you?
0:42:03 > 0:42:06- Not her.- I'm Archie.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- You're Archie? Hi, I'm Dr Fortune.- Yeah.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Why don't you come in there, Archie. Through, you come.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14Burst your brains.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16He hit me with a bar.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19He hit you with a metal bar four times on the head?
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- I stopped it. That's why my fingers are not...- Oh, jeez.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Did you fall or did you injure yourself?
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Yeah, probably fell over drunk.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30You fell over drunk? At least you're an honest man!
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Yeah, but once you've got this, and really froth it up,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36and give it a really good soak.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38And it'll take some of that scabby stuff off,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41and then we can have a look at it for you.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45You've got some nice bruises under your eye. What have you been up to?
0:42:45 > 0:42:47- Beer can full thrown in me face. - A beer can?
0:42:50 > 0:42:52At the end of a busy day,
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Mary has been alerted to another injury, outside in the grounds.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Well, Moses, my man. How are you?
0:43:02 > 0:43:05- What happened?- Oh, I was in a brawl.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11- In a brawl?- Yeah, got kicked. - Oh, jeez, that looks terrible.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15It's over two weeks since Moses last visited the clinic.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17It was rumoured in town he had fled Kununurra
0:43:17 > 0:43:19and gone back to his community.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21No, he hit me with a stick.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Watch your foot there.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27But like most alcoholics, they tend to turn up unexpectedly.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30You've been like the Scarlet Pimpernel, you know, you.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32You were meant to come and see me.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35Yeah, but now I had the courage to come
0:43:35 > 0:43:38because I was sick on those days.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42- Yeah, but, now I got courage to come and see you.- Where's my picture?
0:43:42 > 0:43:47- Pardon?- Where's my picture?- No, no. - Are you still doing my painting?
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- I'm still doing it.- Good.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53I hope so, because I'm really looking forward
0:43:53 > 0:43:54to taking it home to Scotland.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01He's been drinking heavily last night,
0:44:01 > 0:44:05and he was involved in a fight.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Somebody's hit him on the left side of the neck with a bar.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12He's got a wee cut, nothing significant on his hand,
0:44:12 > 0:44:15but he's also been hit, I think, on the knee.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20- Yes, my knee, yeah.- Yeah, roll your leg up and we'll have a look.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24It's swollen and it's pain.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Were you hit by a bar on that leg as well?
0:44:27 > 0:44:30- Yes.- Yeah. Just lift your leg up.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33- Hey!- Where does it hurt, Moses?
0:44:35 > 0:44:36There?
0:44:36 > 0:44:38- Hey!- Sorry.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Did you damage him?
0:44:42 > 0:44:46Yeah, he's got a bruise on his face somewhere.
0:44:46 > 0:44:47I don't know.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50What was the fight about?
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Oh, you know, just about alcohol.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59You're in a right old mess. Come here, you.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04- HE GRUNTS - You're very sore.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07HE GRUNTS
0:45:11 > 0:45:14It's so sad, because I think you're in a worse state now
0:45:14 > 0:45:18than he was when we saw you at the sobering up shelter.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Moses, if you carry on in this way, you're going to die.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28- You know that?- I know that.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33And fighting in that state,
0:45:33 > 0:45:36- you could have been killed. - Yeah, but I made up my mind now.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41- I want to go.- You have to.- I will.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Do you know, I feel this is a great day for you.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Thank you. I'm ready for me to do it.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57It's official - Moses IS now on the rehab waiting list,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59but for a centre he prefers,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02out of reach of his drinking cronies in Broome,
0:46:02 > 0:46:04over 1,000 kilometres away.
0:46:04 > 0:46:09- What's the waiting list? There seems to be a wait.- There is a bit of a...
0:46:09 > 0:46:15At this time of year, it's difficult. There's probably about three-month waiting list in Broome,
0:46:15 > 0:46:21so that is a long wait, but like I said, we'll support you while you're waiting, yep. OK?
0:46:23 > 0:46:27Do you know what I was thinking? They do have spaces at Wyndham.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- Wait a wee minute. I know you don't want to go to Wyndham.- No.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34But wait a wee minute. But even if you went there,
0:46:34 > 0:46:38if we got you in there until they had a space in Broome...
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Well, that's...
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Something like that's been done before.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49It would help you till there is availability in Broome.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Yeah. We'll see about that.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53Let's see.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56I promise you, if you send me tomorrow, I will go.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Moses will know within days
0:46:58 > 0:47:01if the Wyndham centre can find a place for him.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Meanwhile, Mary's other patient, Leah,
0:47:05 > 0:47:09already in the early stages of rehab in Wyndham,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12is back to see her, and get the results of her tests.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16So I've got a few things...to do.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Your results are fantastic.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27- Everything's good, so that should put your mind at ease.- Yeah.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29- So that's great. - I feel all right now.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32You look great. You look really good.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Where's that inner strength coming from?
0:47:34 > 0:47:37I mean, is it just...? Do you just feel it...?
0:47:37 > 0:47:39- Yeah, I keep telling myself, you know?- Mm-hm.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43You made me feel welcome to talk to you
0:47:43 > 0:47:46and just like I could open, you know?
0:47:46 > 0:47:50- You made good friend now. - Good friends, yeah.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54But the other thing is, the important thing for me,
0:47:54 > 0:47:56is to listen to the patient,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59and not moralise, you know,
0:47:59 > 0:48:03and then take steps forward
0:48:03 > 0:48:05to where we can help people.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10- Yeah.- And you feel better, and I feel better as well.
0:48:10 > 0:48:11Yeah.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15OK. Well, listen, I'll be in touch with you.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20Doctors dealing with patients with addiction problems
0:48:20 > 0:48:23are aware they are always on the cusp of success...
0:48:25 > 0:48:26..or failure.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Oh, Harry. Harry, Harry!
0:48:29 > 0:48:31What a mess.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Are you all right sitting there?
0:48:35 > 0:48:37Harry, um...
0:48:37 > 0:48:40remember you were here two weeks ago?
0:48:40 > 0:48:44- Yeah.- And you'd been hit on the head with a frying pan.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46That's right.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50And now, last night, hit me with a broom.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52With a broom?
0:48:52 > 0:48:54- Who hit you? - INDISTINCT COMMENT
0:48:54 > 0:48:57A family member? Oh, right.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Has he done this before to you?
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Yeah, I was playing guitar and all this.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06Oh, Harry. This wound has got a lot of swelling underneath it
0:49:06 > 0:49:09and now because the wound is so old,
0:49:09 > 0:49:11it's going to be very difficult
0:49:11 > 0:49:14to actually put stitches in that.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Is it tender around your scalp area?
0:49:18 > 0:49:19Yeah, paining.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21A bit of pain.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31All right, mate, we'll leave this one there,
0:49:31 > 0:49:35and I'll take you up to the hospital in about five minutes.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53It's been a difficult four weeks for Mary,
0:49:53 > 0:49:58grappling with the complexities and unpredictability of patients with addiction,
0:49:58 > 0:50:02hoping that the interventions with HER rehab patients bear fruit.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07But Moses' social worker, hot off the phone from the rehab centre in Wyndham,
0:50:07 > 0:50:09has some urgent news.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12- Oh, hi there. In you come.- Hey.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16I'm thinking about you and our mutual pal, Moses.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18I wanted to come and talk to you about him.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Moses had been there before on another occasion
0:50:22 > 0:50:25and there'd been a bit of a problem because he'd been
0:50:25 > 0:50:29sneaking into the women's area where the women's quarters were.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35So they're a bit reluctant to have him back again at this stage,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38- because he is quite a character... - Oh, he's very charismatic.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Yeah, that's right. So they just thought
0:50:41 > 0:50:44perhaps not at this point in time.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47- What a rascal, eh? - Yes, yes, he is a rascal.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49So he's not allowed to go to Wyndham?
0:50:49 > 0:50:51No, no.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54Is that a good reason not to commit again, though?
0:50:54 > 0:50:58Well, not really. Yeah, but then that's up to those guys, yeah.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00We can't really make that call.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03But Moses also... It's not just that.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Moses has a reputation for being
0:51:05 > 0:51:09you know, a trickster and a bit cheeky...
0:51:09 > 0:51:12so everybody wants everything settled
0:51:12 > 0:51:16if he's going to come into the picture, because he's...
0:51:16 > 0:51:18He's just full of life, you know. He is, yeah.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21That's a shame, because that's his personality.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25A lot of people do like to have fun and a laugh.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29Well, you know, he's still never come up with my painting.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32- No, that's right.- He went off with the canvas and the paints and...
0:51:34 > 0:51:35He would have sold it.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38No, he would have sold it if he'd done a painting!
0:51:38 > 0:51:40Well, that's what we reckon he's done!
0:51:40 > 0:51:42That'd be what he'd do.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46- All right.- OK, Jane. Listen, thanks for your help yet again.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49- If he does appear, give me a shout. - Oh, definitely.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55It's another blow for Moses,
0:51:55 > 0:51:58let down by the inadequacies of the rehab system.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02But did he keep his promise to Mary?
0:52:02 > 0:52:03Tell me what happened?
0:52:25 > 0:52:26Somebody stole it?
0:52:32 > 0:52:34Are you sure you've painted this in the first place?
0:52:42 > 0:52:46But Moses apparently did keep his side of the bargain,
0:52:46 > 0:52:49as discovered in the local Aboriginal art centre.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55He's gone, "Oh, shivers, I've lost the painting.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57"Better do another one. Where can I get a canvas?
0:52:57 > 0:53:02"I'll go down to Waringarri Arts, get a canvas and I'll paint it,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05"and it'll stay there until those film guys come back."
0:53:08 > 0:53:11If you think about that whole story about the Wandjina
0:53:11 > 0:53:14and the power of it and the wet season and the storms,
0:53:14 > 0:53:18this captures that. We're about to get some storms soon.
0:53:18 > 0:53:19This is what it looks like.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23So I think Moses was trying to do something that
0:53:23 > 0:53:25I guess was really special and important to him.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30- It does look a little bit basic to the untrained eye.- Sure, sure.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35But all great art, and certainly the best of indigenous art,
0:53:35 > 0:53:41there's a lot of power and energy in it. If you sit with a painting for long enough, you can feel that.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45You take your time over an artwork it'll talk to you about what IT'S got to say.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48So I think that's what Moses is doing here.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52I haven't pulled this out from that day, but I'm going to sit with it this afternoon
0:53:52 > 0:53:56and see where he was at when he was doing it.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59COMPUTER-GENERATED MUSIC PLAYS
0:53:59 > 0:54:04This must be the worst music on the telephone I've ever heard.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08With Moses' future on hold, Mary turns her attention to Leah,
0:54:08 > 0:54:10now into her third week in the Wyndham rehab.
0:54:10 > 0:54:15- 'Good morning, Cath speaking.' - Hi, Cath, it's Mary Fortune.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19We have a mutual client called Leah.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22- 'Leah Kingsley, I think.' - Yeah, yeah.
0:54:22 > 0:54:26And I've seen her several times
0:54:26 > 0:54:28here at the OVAHS clinic
0:54:28 > 0:54:33and I wanted to see if I could make an arrangement with her
0:54:33 > 0:54:37to follow her up at Wyndham in the rehab unit with you,
0:54:37 > 0:54:39if that would be possible.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42'It is impossible.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45'We would have no problem with that,
0:54:45 > 0:54:50'but Leah left. Leah's actually discharged herself last Sunday.'
0:54:50 > 0:54:52- You're joking!?- 'No, no.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57'Very upsetting, really, because she was really doing quite well.'
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Goodness. I can't believe that.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03- 'I know, I know.- What a blow, eh?'
0:55:03 > 0:55:07She discharged herself from the rehab clinic on Sunday.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10There's no reason as to why she's left.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12It's a bit of a blow, really,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15because I thought that she was doing really well.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18I'm sure... I've got a feeling that's where she'll go.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21It may be that she's fine and that she thinks,
0:55:21 > 0:55:24"I've done it in three weeks." But in fact the course is 13 weeks,
0:55:24 > 0:55:28so she's being pretty super woman if she's done that.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31But we need to find out why she's left and to try and trace her
0:55:31 > 0:55:35and to say, "Look, we're here to help, you know."
0:55:38 > 0:55:42Since filming, attempts have been made to find Leah,
0:55:42 > 0:55:43but without success.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49Outside the care of the rehab centre, she faces an uncertain future.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55Aboriginal women are 33 times more likely to experience assault
0:55:55 > 0:55:59than their non-indigenous counterparts, and one third of her age group
0:55:59 > 0:56:03will die before reaching 45.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05Indigenous men and women
0:56:05 > 0:56:08die up to 20 years earlier than other Australians...
0:56:09 > 0:56:14..and Aboriginal children are dying at more than three times
0:56:14 > 0:56:16the rate of non-indigenous children.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20We have to do something now because I tell you,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24there won't be an Aboriginal race any more. There won't.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27It'll just die out. We will die out. You know what?
0:56:27 > 0:56:31If I was someone that didn't want Aboriginal people here, I'd just wait.
0:56:31 > 0:56:35Just wait. They'll be gone in a couple of... You know?
0:57:12 > 0:57:15Next on Doctor Fortune's Australian Casebook...
0:57:15 > 0:57:17Yee-ha!
0:57:17 > 0:57:19..a day out at the rodeo,
0:57:19 > 0:57:23and Mary discovers the real history of Aboriginal cowboys...
0:57:23 > 0:57:28Some people say they worked there as slaves, because they just worked for tea and sugar.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30As people say, "We worked for tea and sugar."
0:57:30 > 0:57:34..and takes a chance on the outcome of the Aussie election...
0:57:34 > 0:57:36Got a wee bet on...
0:57:36 > 0:57:38and we'll wait and see what happens.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42..finding out how Australia's first people vote...
0:57:42 > 0:57:45I'm hoping there's a bus picking some of them up, rounding them up.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49..and cracks under the pressure as she comes to terms
0:57:49 > 0:57:52with the plight of the Aboriginal people.
0:57:52 > 0:57:53I can't talk to ya.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:00 > 0:58:03E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk