My Visit to Hospital

Dad's boat was getting old to say the least. But it would always faithfully take him to and from the fishing grounds without so much as a single breakdown. Dad would always say "If you treat it with respect, it will respect you and will not let you down."

We also used the boat on Saturdays for our weekly trip to the mainland. We would go there for our shopping and if we were good, candy treats. Dad would birth the boat at the mainland- fishing wharf where he would buy the fuel for the week. On Saturdays when he did not want to go shopping, he would stay with the boat and talk to the other fishermen.

Dad had been complaining for a long time that the boat was in dire need of some serious maintenance - either that, he said, or we would soon have no boat. The small leaks were becoming large leaks and some mornings it would take up to thirty minutes to get the engine running. These were the main problems but there were many small ones that altogether made Dad's job even harder.

Mom and Dad decided that they would get the boat to Mackay on the mainland. There they would get it into the boat dock for maintenance. It would be expensive, they complained, but must be done.

The boat would be gone for a week. Dad arranged to take it over the next Saturday. That would allow us to shop and we could get a ride back to the island with one of the other fishermen. This would also give Dad his first vacation of sorts in some years; we had arranged all sorts of treats.

Eventually the Saturday came when we delivered the boat to Mackay. We had candy treats and also played a game of miniature golf before returning to the island.

We had a great week - lots of playing with Dad, swimming, riding our bikes and going for nice long walks along the beaches. All too soon the next Saturday came around. I knew we would have to again head off to the mainland to pick up the boat and our lives would return to normal.

I went to Mackay with Dad. Our boat was ready with a new shiny coat of paint and an engine that purred like new. Dad noted that it was the first time in many months where there was no water slopping around under the engine by the keel of the boat. Before the boat was repaired, Dad had had to pump it out from all those leaks every day.

We were going to take the boat out for a quick test run before we returned home on it to Hinchinbrook Island. Dad went to the wheelhouse where he yelled out his commands. My job was to cast off the lines. When I got to the last rope, I put my hand inside the coil to get a good grip so as to toss it on to the wharf - WHEN IT HAPPENED!! I felt a sudden pain in my hand; I could not move for a moment. Dad was yelling but I did not hear what he said. I pulled my hand quickly from the coil and let out a scream. A funnel web spider was hanging from my hand. I had been bitten!

Dad, realizing something had happened, came running out in time to see the spider scuttling across the deck. Dad picked me up and ran to the boat shed as quick as he could. He found an old shirt and bound my arm up as tight as he could so as to stop the venom from spreading throughout my body. The local hospital was my next destination.

From being bitten to arriving at the hospital could only have been ten minutes. I was immediately taken into a room where I was dressed in one of those white hospital robes. Many wires were connected to my body which were in turn connected to a machine that constantly went 'beep, beep.'

I stayed the rest of the day in the hospital. I had no ill effects from the venom. The doctor said this was because Dad had acted so quickly binding my arm and getting me to the hospital. I was very lucky for funnel web spiders can be deadly.

That evening Dad treated me to dinner. Mom was called to let her know that I was okay; she said she had been so worried.

It was too late to head back to Hinchinbrook Island so dad and I got to stay in a hotel, which was great fun.

The next day was Sunday and we left early to head back to the island. Mom was waiting for us on the wharf. As soon as the boat was tied up, she came aboard and hugged me until I thought I could not breathe!

Life on the island returned to normal. We went to school while Dad went out fishing. But one thing had changed - I would never put my hand in anything again without first checking for spiders!