0:00:02 > 0:00:04They're the Brits who race to the rescue down under...
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'Multiple patients critical.'
0:00:07 > 0:00:09..everyday heroes saving lives...
0:00:09 > 0:00:11'12 miles to run.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:12..battling fires...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Come out now! It's too late.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16It can be extremely dangerous.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18..and fighting crime.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Put your arm down.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Police! Open the door!
0:00:21 > 0:00:23From the big city to the outback...
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Our policing district is bigger than the whole of the UK.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27..from the bush...
0:00:27 > 0:00:31'He's been crushed between one of those dingo diggers and a ute.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:33..to Bondi Beach.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35'The search continues for a British tourist who hasn't been seen
0:00:35 > 0:00:37'since he went for a swim.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:40You never quite know what you're in for or what's going to happen.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41'3-3-2, mate, on the head in.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Very high impact. He's really quite critically injured.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Brits on blue lights under blue skies.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Today down under - a medical emergency in the bush
0:00:58 > 0:01:01turns into a wildfire rescue mission.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02Let's see if we can put it out, eh?
0:01:02 > 0:01:05We're doing some ad hoc firefighting at this point.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11British policeman Kurt comes across some ugly customers in the outback.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Lawrence of Arabia. That is the biggest I've ever seen.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Are you with us, Lewis?
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And there's a scramble to rescue a sick baby.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23He's been unwell for about five days.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27They're at the upper limit of what they can cope with at this hospital.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38In Australia's busiest emergency control room
0:01:38 > 0:01:40there's a desperate call for help.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44OK, right now is he awake? OK, is he breathing normally?
0:01:44 > 0:01:48It comes from a remote wilderness 70 miles west of Sydney.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52We've got reports from police in the Blue Mountains
0:01:52 > 0:01:55of a party of three males in their 20s
0:01:55 > 0:01:58who've been canyoning yesterday.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Lost or supposedly disorientated overnight.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03One of them's reportedly a diabetic.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06So they're concerned about his welfare
0:02:06 > 0:02:08and his ability to walk out today.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12British flying doctor Gillian Adams is preparing for a tricky rescue.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I've just got some overnight and outdoor weather gear
0:02:15 > 0:02:20so I've got some warm clothes, some sun screen and hat and sunglasses
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and a cereal bar, just in case we're there
0:02:23 > 0:02:25for a bit longer than we think.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28So the police helicopter were unable to extricate them
0:02:28 > 0:02:30or insert anybody to check them out.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33So they've dropped some water into them.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36So I guess they won't be dehydrated.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38The distances are always a lot greater in Australia.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40The weather can be more extreme.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So it can be certainly a lot hotter during the day
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and can then get quite cold during the night.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Aeromedic on patrol.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53They're heading into one of Australia's
0:02:53 > 0:02:55most hostile environments.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57There's a lot more dangerous creatures
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and critters out there that we need to be aware of.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04And some of the terrain can be quite difficult to access and dangerous.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15After a night lost in deep bush with no medication,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18the diabetic man could be in real danger.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21If he'd taken his insulin the day that they set out
0:03:21 > 0:03:25and then been exerting himself all day and then not had the opportunity
0:03:25 > 0:03:28to eat any food, and I believe they only had some sweets with them,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31his blood sugars could have become precariously low.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34That's what we call a hypo, or hypoglycaemia.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35At 34 degrees.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38'34.'
0:03:38 > 0:03:4136 decimal five.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43'36 decimal five.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:45You get a cascade of symptoms starting
0:03:45 > 0:03:47with feeling a little bit unwell,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49maybe a bit light-headed, a bit shaky, a bit nauseous.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Then in extreme circumstances these people can become
0:03:53 > 0:03:57comatosed and die if this isn't detected and treated appropriately.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00ENGINE DROWNS OUT SPEECH
0:04:00 > 0:04:02'We can give you our mapping system, if that helps
0:04:02 > 0:04:04'out for the precise location.'
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Satellite navigation helps the team fly straight to three men
0:04:10 > 0:04:13lost in 7,000 square miles of wilderness.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17So the decision was for Garth to winch down
0:04:17 > 0:04:21and do an initial assessment of the boys and the area to decide
0:04:21 > 0:04:25if it was necessary for myself to come down too.
0:04:25 > 0:04:26MUFFLED RADIO COMMUNICATION
0:04:33 > 0:04:37But Garth finds himself in a new and more urgent emergency.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Whoa! See if we can put that fire out.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43A bushfire has broken out.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Unless they're quick, it will spread.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49We'll do what we can, you might want to set down somewhere.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52This is going to take a few minutes, I think,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55if we're going to be successful at all.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Right, what do you think?
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Yeah, got our work cut out here pretty quick.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Let's see if we can put it out, eh?
0:05:02 > 0:05:07Oh, thanks. We're doing some ad hoc firefighting at this point.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Our decision was to move the helicopter,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11fly away slightly whilst the boys
0:05:11 > 0:05:15and the paramedic on the ground made some attempt to extinguish the fire.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18If you guys come down here again, it's going to whip it
0:05:18 > 0:05:21into a big fire. Who'd want to be a firey?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It was spreading and at this point Garth made the decision that
0:05:23 > 0:05:27all four of them needed to be winched back into the helicopter
0:05:27 > 0:05:30because of the unpredictability of how fast and how far
0:05:30 > 0:05:33that fire was going to spread.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34Oh, that's really going.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37No, we're not going to get anywhere.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38We're best to get out of here.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Rescuer and casualties are trapped between a wildfire
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and a steep cliff.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Only the chopper can save them.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Australia's Red Desert is among the least populated areas on earth.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08An empty wilderness, that's home only to a hardy community of
0:06:08 > 0:06:11gold prospectors and a few thousand Aboriginal people.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14And there's our community in the middle of the desert.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Police constable Kurt Weedon, who once patrolled Kent,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21keeps the peace here and it's no small task.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24It's a vast place, really large.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Our policing district would be bigger than the whole of the UK
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and you just cannot get your head round that concept,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34that sort of a handful of police officers cover an area so big.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Kurt's on duty in the police station at Warakurna,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44a thousand mile drive from Perth, the nearest city.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Hello, sarge, it's Kurt again.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Can you chuck us onto CAD? It would be so much quicker.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The country policeman's job is a demanding one in Western Australia.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58Officers are expected to react to emergencies on duty and off.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01We work a 40 hour week but anything that happens after that,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03then whatever time of the day or night it is,
0:07:03 > 0:07:04we're the only ones here.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So we're the only ones for 200km.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So it's got to be us that goes to deal with it.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13So, out of bed and we'll be down there and see what happens.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26And tonight there's trouble in the local town -
0:07:26 > 0:07:29a domestic incident has got out of hand.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31By the sound of it, someone's been hit in the head with an axe
0:07:31 > 0:07:33but that's the only information we got.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37So until we get there, we don't know the extent of the damage.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39So we won't know until we get down to the clinic
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- and find out what's happened. - Ready to go.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45With so few officers and so many square miles to cover,
0:07:45 > 0:07:50dealing with any incident like this demands sensitivity and diplomacy.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54This could be a long night for Kurt.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07What do you want? A coffee? Sugar? Vegemite? Toast?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09A male's been arrested. We've now got him in custody.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12All right, mate. We've just had a phone call in from the court
0:08:12 > 0:08:15that they're going to call us at 10.15 and then they'll be ready to
0:08:15 > 0:08:16proceed with the court.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18That's all done by way of video link.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's a courtroom but, as you can see, it doubles up as a gym.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23So this is the courtroom.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27That's all the video-link equipment. So there's a dial-in system.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29You dial in there, the magistrate comes up on the screen
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and all the cameras that go through to Kalgoorlie.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40Come on, mate. It's this way.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55The hearing lasts just five minutes.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56That's you finished, mate.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Have yourself a seat in there, mate.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04The ruling is, Kurt's suspect isn't getting bail.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Cos of how remote the community is
0:09:07 > 0:09:10and how small the community is, there's nowhere safe for him to go.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13The community is concerned for their welfare
0:09:13 > 0:09:15because of his behaviour and they believe that
0:09:15 > 0:09:18he may continue to be violent towards members of the community.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21And also for his welfare, because there's
0:09:21 > 0:09:24a possibility of retributions for the alleged assault.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27So because the community is so small and so remote,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29there's nowhere safe for him to go.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32So really the only option, and the safest option for everybody,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36is for him to be flown and taken away from the community
0:09:36 > 0:09:41and reside in custody in Kalgoorlie until his hearing comes up.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44What we have to do is, we have to get them to Warburton,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47so generally we'll do a halfway meet with our colleagues from Warburton.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Want to put your flip-flops on?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Good man. Jump in here for us.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00Ready? Right in. Excellent. Mind your feet.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10The journey their prisoner is starting out on is equivalent
0:10:10 > 0:10:15to travelling from Lands' End to John o' Groats, ending in a cell.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31High in the Blue Mountains, three lost walkers are in trouble.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34It's getting hot, guys, let's stop what you can...
0:10:34 > 0:10:38If we bring them in again, we'll blaze the fire.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Trapped between a bushfire and a sheer cliff, their lives
0:10:41 > 0:10:45are in the hands of air ambulance winchman Garth Thompson.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47We'll put you in a seat.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50When you look at the helicopter you'll go in the door,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52you'll go into a seat opposite at the rear, OK?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Yeah, we'll put you in a seatbelt.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55It's the downwash that's the big issue.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00Yeah, so get around there. Just keep in mind the fire.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04ENGINE DROWNS OUT SPEECH
0:11:16 > 0:11:20So this job quickly turned from a potential medical emergency
0:11:20 > 0:11:24into more of a rescue situation, which is a huge team effort
0:11:24 > 0:11:27from the crew and the pilot and the paramedic.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31ENGINE DROWNS OUT SPEECH
0:11:41 > 0:11:45As the boys were brought individually into the helicopter,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48after a rapid assessment it became clear they were all quite well.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51We got the thumbs up because talking is always difficult
0:11:51 > 0:11:54with the communications and the helmets and things.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I think they were just relieved to be removed
0:11:56 > 0:11:59from that fire at that area and off to safety.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05We were low on fuel so the pilot decided to land on a nearby property
0:12:05 > 0:12:07and drop the boys off.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13It's been a very lucky escape.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15The fires burn for nine days
0:12:15 > 0:12:19before they're finally put out by bush firefighters.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23The casualties, Shane Timmermans and Thomas Kotzur,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26know they owe their lives to the air ambulance team.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27Absolute gods.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30So the people that came to rescue us, the air ambulance,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34very professional. They got the job done really quickly.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35Shane was the final one to come out
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and by the time Shane had got lifted out,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40the chopper was starting to get fairly full of smoke.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Obviously if we were there for a little bit longer, like waiting,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47and say there wasn't a chopper there to lift us straight out, it would
0:12:47 > 0:12:51be quite scary as there was a fire, like, bushfire right next to us.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54It just goes to show that sometimes the information you're given
0:12:54 > 0:12:57initially is not reflective of the job you end up doing.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01We thought this case would be a simple rescue of a diabetic patient
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and it turned into a bushfire rescue.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06So we never know what's going to happen.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The British flying doctors work hard
0:13:11 > 0:13:13and play hard.
0:13:13 > 0:13:14A few days after the rescue
0:13:14 > 0:13:18and Dr Gillian is unwinding with her friends in a Sydney swimming club.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Certainly work can be stressful.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24The hours can be long, some of the cases can be quite difficult
0:13:24 > 0:13:28and you're winching onto cliffs in the mountains,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31you can be rescuing people out of the water.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36The lifestyle in England is great on a good day
0:13:36 > 0:13:39but in Australia we have lots more good days, I guess,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43so there's a lot more opportunity to get out and about.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46After nine years and two children born in Australia,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49she has no plans to return to the NHS.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52We fancied a bit of a change after training
0:13:52 > 0:13:55and working for a few years in Birmingham,
0:13:55 > 0:13:56looked around for some jobs,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59I got offered a job at Manly Hospital,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01looked like a nice place to be,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03so we came over, thinking we'd be here for about a year,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07and, yeah, nine and a half years later, we're still living in Manley
0:14:07 > 0:14:11and our family are still wondering when we're coming home.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- RADIO:- 'WSFM.- WSFM 101.7. Hello there. It's Jonesy and Amanda.
0:14:19 > 0:14:20'What a nice looking day.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24'Mostly sunny, 25 degrees in the city, 30 in the west. It is 7.23...'
0:14:24 > 0:14:27When it comes to health, Australia is among the best
0:14:27 > 0:14:30and the worst places to grow up.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34In the big cities, health care for kids is as good as it gets,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38but in some remote areas, child death rates are as high
0:14:38 > 0:14:41as in countries like Sri Lanka or Lebanon.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42PHONE RINGS
0:14:42 > 0:14:44NETS coordination. Jenna speaking.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50It's the NETS team's job to even the odds.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55So you want the patient to go to ICU not the emergency department.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57These medics are specially trained to get sick children
0:14:57 > 0:15:01to specialist care in Sydney as quickly as possible.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- Are you with us, Lewis? - Yes, sir.- Excellent.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11It's the start of another shift for Steve Face, formerly of London's
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Great Ormond Street Hospital and now a paediatric flight nurse.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25We've been tasked to Liverpool, which is a hospital about 25km
0:15:25 > 0:15:29from Sydney to pick up a boy with bronchiolitis.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33He's been unwell for about five days.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35He's been getting a little bit worse
0:15:35 > 0:15:39and they're at the upper limit of what they can cope with
0:15:39 > 0:15:43at this hospital so we've been asked to go and assess the child
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and probably move him to one of the children's hospitals in Sydney.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Today's case reminds him of his job back home.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Bronchiolitis is a lung condition most common in European winters.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It leaves its young victims struggling for breath
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and it can be fatal.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03So we can't take him on high flow.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07So we can see what his breathing's like when we get there
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and maybe just trial him turning him down to low flow.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13The team's patient is in a local hospital
0:16:13 > 0:16:15in the sprawling Sydney suburbs.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17We'll need to put him on C-pap.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22I'll set the C-pap up either way
0:16:22 > 0:16:24so we've got the C-pap if we need it on the way.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- And maybe just be able to take him on low flow.- Yeah.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28It's worth giving him a suction.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37The NETS team travels with its own mini intensive care unit.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40This winter's been unusually chilly for Australia
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and there's been a surge in cases like this.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45BOY COUGHS
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Little Yusuf Malik is ten months old.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53A virus is causing inflammation in the tiny tubes in his lungs.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57He's been ill for three days and his doctors are concerned.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02So initially he was OK, he was just on some low flow oxygen.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06But deteriorated in the evening and was put on high flow.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10So he, he went up to 1.5 litres per kilo.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13And then he didn't really improve initially
0:17:13 > 0:17:17for about three hours or so. So he was running off 80 to 90
0:17:17 > 0:17:21and then it went down to about 60, 70.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Despite antibiotics and oxygen therapy,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Yusuf's showing little sign of improvement.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29His dad, Irfan, is a GP.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33How's he looking like now compared to earlier in the night?
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Better, but he deteriorated overnight.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39So is he looking slightly better than earlier or...?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Slightly better, yes, but not really.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Is that since they put this system blowing the air through his nose?
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- It was 68...- It didn't really affect it.- Yeah.- OK.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51All right, little man, you're not going to like this.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Most bronchiolitis cases are minor and respond quickly to treatment.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Yusuf's infection is neither.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Steve and his colleagues will be keeping a close eye
0:18:02 > 0:18:05on their patient through the 20-mile journey.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Yogesh, can I get you to hold his...? So if I can get...
0:18:08 > 0:18:13Yeah, head and arms would be great. All right, mate, here we go.
0:18:13 > 0:18:14OK, OK, bubba.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16The team's using suction
0:18:16 > 0:18:19to try and ease the congestion in Yusuf's lungs.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25We need ketamine, ketamine.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28All done. I know, it's not nice, is it?
0:18:28 > 0:18:32We did suction. Usually these kids, they have a nasal blockage
0:18:32 > 0:18:35so whenever we are giving flow it doesn't go down that much
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and it doesn't help lungs to expand.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40So we have to do the deep suction
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and we got some amount of suction secretions -
0:18:43 > 0:18:46not much but he will be better with this.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Children often deteriorate quickly, without warning,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and in the back of an ambulance that can be difficult to deal with.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55So I'll just get some fluids and bits made up.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59I've got the C-pap bits and pieces if we need to
0:18:59 > 0:19:03increase our support and we're just getting a ketamine infusion made up
0:19:03 > 0:19:06in case we need to give him some sedation so that he tolerates that.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07OK.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09YUSUF COUGHS
0:19:09 > 0:19:13So, Lewis, if you can stick that on the oxygen there for me.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17That's it. And if you stay close so he knows you're there
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and we'll get him...
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- Can you get through there, Lewis? - I know I can do it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Such a smooth driver.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36For Steve and Dr Khachane, the journey through the Sydney jams will
0:19:36 > 0:19:41be every bit as challenging as many of their longer transfers by air.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42MUFFLED RADIO MESSAGE
0:19:47 > 0:19:49In the big city traffic,
0:19:49 > 0:19:55specialist help is just as far away if something goes wrong.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56MUFFLED RADIO MESSAGE
0:19:58 > 0:19:59MUFFLED RADIO MESSAGE
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Sydney Children's Hospital is a welcome sight for the team.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08It's Australia's Great Ormond St,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11and Yusuf will soon be in the best possible hands.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17His condition slowly improves
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and a week after his emergency transfer
0:20:20 > 0:20:23he goes home with his relieved mum and dad.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36In Western Australia,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40British constable Kurt Weedon and his Aussie sergeant, James Parker,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42are on a two-hour drive through the outback
0:20:42 > 0:20:45to meet colleagues from the next station,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48just so their prisoner can reach a jail cell.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50So from here to Warburton,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52you've got this dirt track road, as you can see.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55That's about two and a half hours' drive.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Then he'll be put on the plane to Kalgoorlie,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59which is about an hour and a half?
0:20:59 > 0:21:03- Yeah, about that.- About that. An hour and a half on the plane then.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06But on a busy week, if we're travelling between the communities,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10it wouldn't be unusual for us to do 1,000km in a week.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19Distances here are huge compared with Kurt's old beat back in Kent.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The longest we'd have to travel there would be
0:21:22 > 0:21:26kind of Dartford to Swanley, which is probably a 15-minute journey.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30The majority of the jobs would be maximum of five miles away.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39HE YAWNS
0:21:46 > 0:21:53Fellow officers from the station at Warburton are a welcome sight.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- How you going? You all right? - How you doing, mate? How you doing?
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- Nice one.- Kurt, is it? - Yeah. Nathan. Hello, Nathan.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- And...?- Stu.- Hello, Stu.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- We'll do the paperwork. - Yeah, come on. Let's do it.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Kurt's not the only Brit out here.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09One of the prisoner's new escorts is a UK exile too.
0:22:09 > 0:22:15There's one I need to keep. Yeah, I just need this one, yeah.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22There you go, mate.
0:22:26 > 0:22:27All right, thanks, Stu.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Oh, is he in? Cheers.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- He's in, all done. - All done. Nice one.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40112km we've got and they've got about the same - 100, 120?
0:22:40 > 0:22:45- About 120.- 120 to go. So, yeah, got a bit of lunch of on the road
0:22:45 > 0:22:49cos don't think I'm going to get anything else to eat otherwise.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50ENGINE STARTS
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Can't miss your dinner for anyone.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57FORK SCRAPES IN TIN
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Few people or animals are adapted to surviving out here.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Temperatures can reach 40 Celsius or more in summer.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10But there are exceptions.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Lawrence of Arabia.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Camels were brought to the outback by Victorian engineers laying
0:23:18 > 0:23:21railways and telegraph wires.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Now their descendants run free.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28It's certainly different to being back home.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31A few pictures there.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34SHUTTER CLICKS
0:23:34 > 0:23:37These animals have multiplied so successfully,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40they're often rounded up and sold to the Middle East.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43I suppose it makes doing a 12-hour shift a little bit worthwhile
0:23:43 > 0:23:46when you see something like this.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47Look at the big one.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49That one's gotta be the daddy.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Look at the size of it.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52Pretty impressive.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56That is a big, big bunch of camels.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58That is the biggest I've ever seen.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03That was a real sight to behold.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05I didn't even have my own phone,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07otherwise I would've taken a couple of photos.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Even Sir David Attenborough might have done that, eh?
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- AS DAVID ATTENBOROUGH:- Here we have the native Australian camel.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Kurt's souvenir pictures won't be going back home to the UK.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24For all its isolation, he loves his work out here,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27and Australia is where he intends to stay.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Every year, 5.3 million Aussies take off on internal flights
0:24:45 > 0:24:47and some will spend five hours in the air
0:24:47 > 0:24:50without even leaving the country.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56But no-one wants Brit Juanita Ameghino as a flight attendant.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Four, five, two and two.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02She's a nurse, caring for sick passengers on the planes
0:25:02 > 0:25:05that are the ambulances of the outback.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12- Steve, this is Pamela. - Hello, Pamela.- Hi, Steve.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Making room.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Pamela is 74 and recovering from surgery for cancer.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20OK, Pamela, going up in the world.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23You'll be able to see over the rooftops of Mascot.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28That sunrise has gone now. There was a beautiful sunrise earlier.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Many patients face long journeys for complex surgery in Australia
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and Juanita and her colleagues fly more than 1,000 home each year.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39That's it.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40Thanks, Steve.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44ENGINES POWER UP
0:25:46 > 0:25:49There we go. Glad to be going home, yeah?
0:25:49 > 0:25:52You're looking well. Are you feeling well now?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Apart from about the week post-op
0:25:55 > 0:25:57when the painkillers were making me feel a bit woozy...
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- Oh, yeah. yeah.- ..I felt remarkably well the whole time.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04MUFFLED RADIO MESSAGE
0:26:07 > 0:26:09There'll be no refreshments on this flight.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Juanita's duties include monitoring Pamela's condition.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Some patients require oxygen or extra painkillers.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19It's been quite serious. She was admitted in June
0:26:19 > 0:26:24and I know that she's got extensive cancer in her bowel
0:26:24 > 0:26:30and it's spread to her kidneys and her ovaries and her uterus.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33But she's had all of that removed. She's a 74-year-old lady
0:26:33 > 0:26:36so it's a big operation for a little, old lady
0:26:36 > 0:26:37but she's coping very well.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I've just spoken to her - she's comfortable,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41she's happy that she's had the surgery,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43and she's coping remarkably well.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47This is a short flight by Aussie standards.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50We're coming from Metropolitan Sydney here
0:26:50 > 0:26:55and we're coming all the way down the south coast,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57through Wollongong, through Ulladulla,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01and all the way down to Merimbula here,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04which you're looking at six or seven hours by road,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and we're just going to nip straight down there in 40 minutes.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11I'm just keeping an eye on her saturations just to make sure
0:27:11 > 0:27:14that she doesn't deoxygenate with the altitude changes.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18I also just checked her blood pressure to make sure that she's
0:27:18 > 0:27:22not affected too much by the G-force and I'm checking her pulse.
0:27:24 > 0:27:30- ALTIMETER:- '50, 40, 30, 20, 10.'
0:27:30 > 0:27:31ALTIMETER BUZZES
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- On terra firma. - Absolutely. On terra firma.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Pamela's on her way to a local hospital,
0:27:40 > 0:27:45where she'll continue her recovery before eventually being allowed home.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47OK, Pamela, just moving you.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50It's great, isn't it, yeah?
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Well, you can always travel by this way now.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55You never have to climb those stairs again.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01That was pretty good. It's a beaut little aircraft.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05It's been part of a life-changing journey.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08She's been really fit and well. She's had a good recovery.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12She was fine during the flight and her observations are just normal.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16And she's done very well. She didn't require oxygen during the flight.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And she's coming home to beautiful Bega.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I might see you when I'm visiting. I've got friends down here.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25That's why I know it's a long way to drive down.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27See you.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Juanita rarely sees her patients again...
0:28:32 > 0:28:35..but Pamela might just be an exception.