Fiji Missions
Mr Crock has been travelling to Fiji to do aid work since 2004. Initially he collaborated with Interplast and Loloma foundations, but to help share the financial load incurred by these organisations he started his own NPO in 2008 – called Vakabauta. This has been rebadged as Aussie Health Abroad and the work has expanded in its scope. The following reports are snapshots of his work over there.
2007 Fiji Mission
In 2004, 2005 and 2006 surgical tours of Fiji were undertaken under the umbrella of Interplast with a team of friends from Australia, and together we travelled to the Northern capital of Labasa (reports of these tours are posted on this web site). However, in 2007 Interplast did not have funding for this outreach, and [...]
2006 Fiji Mission
This is the third consecutive trip to Labasa, capital of Vanua Levu in Fiji. The team comprised of Mr. John Crock, Mr. Simon Donahoe, Dr. Renald Portelli, Mrs Catherine Boaden and Roarian observer Mr John Berens. John Crock and his wife Wendy were already working in Fiji on an insland in the Western province, and [...]
2005 Fiji Mission
June 2005 was the second consecutive tour of the Interplast team comprising of John Crock, Simon Donahoe, Renald Portelli and Jim Beaumont to Labasa, Fiji. To outsiders the area is known as the ‘friendly north’ but to the locals it is called the ‘forgotten north’. The draining population is in the vicinity of 50,000. 25,000 live in [...]
2004 Fiji Mission
An Interplast expedition was undertaken to Labasa in June 2004. The team members comprised of two plastic surgeons (John Crock and Simon Donahoe), one anaesthetist (Renald Portelli), and one theatre nurse (James Beaumont). In addition, Sue Atwood from Interplast Australia and Val Nicholson from Rotary Australia came as observers/ liaison officers. The team rendezvoused in Labasa; [...]