More than one way to splint a broken ankle / myLot

Rockingham, Australia

December 23, 2025 6:52pm CST

I read today that a woman in a remote part of Arnhem land in the far north of Australia slipped and broke her ankle in three places. With no mobile coverage and too far from her camp for anyone to hear her cries, she crawled 500 metres back to the camp. She was part of a group of indigenous people who were there for meetings with the locals. When she got to the camp, an elder took bark from a paperbark tree to bandage and support her ankle so they could carry her to an airstrip to meet the Royal Flying Doctor. This reminded me of the time my Mum ‘set’ the broken leg of a little lamb, using bark and strips of material. We didn’t have paperbark in the area but she used other bark that has a natural curve to fit the dimensions of the lamb’s leg. It recovered well and lived a long happy life. The photo isn’t of that lamb but of some of the many pet lambs we raised during my childhood. Joe the kangaroo decided to be in the photo too.

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10 responses

Anna

@LadyDuck (489447)

• Italy

24 Dec

That is a strong woman, This story reminds me when my Mom broke her ankle and she walked home, more or less 500 meters and started to iron clothing waiting that my brother came back home to ask him what to do!

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Anna

@LadyDuck (489447)

• Italy

24 Dec

@JudyEv - I arrived home before my brother and I called the ambulance. She always had to wait for my brother!

2 people like this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

24 Dec

Oh dear! Your poor mother! And then not to waste time, she thought she'd do the ironing while she waited!!

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@DaddyEvil (164151)

• United States

24 Dec

I'm glad the lady got help. And glad your mom knew how to splint the lamb's leg.

3 people like this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

24 Dec

She knew lots of tricks. It wasn't often the family had to call on others to help them out.

3 people like this

snowy

@snowy22315 (200436)

• United States

24 Dec

Yes, how funny. Kanga Joe wanted to pose with the gang. Did you go to school over the radio? I saw a museum exhibit one time of Australian children on sheep ranches being taught over the radio. They had a sample lesson with audio equipment to show how it went.

3 people like this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

24 Dec

I caught a school bus to get to school but I once supervised school lessons for two children who were learning through School of the Air as it was known. They were on a sheep station out from Carnarvon.

3 people like this

emptychair

@innertalks (23434)

• Australia

24 Dec

That is a good example of resourcefulness, and I admire people that can see solutions outside of the box, like that.

2 people like this

resourceful

australia

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

24 Dec

I was very intrigued to watch her picking the bark she wanted then cutting it to the right size.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

24 Dec

@innertalks All the early settlers were very resourceful.

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emptychair

@innertalks (23434)

• Australia

24 Dec

@JudyEv Yes, it would have been an interesting, informative situation to see, and to learn from, how some people seem to be able to find the resources to handle most anything they need too.

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@Shiva49 (27737)

• Singapore

24 Dec

In my younger days older people, especially women, were hands on to attend to medical emergencies They even acted as midwives without training but through gleaned experience over years.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

18h

Yes, that's very true. People needed to be able to do as much as possible for themselves and their families without help.

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LindaOH

@LindaOHio (209042)

• United States

24 Dec

Cute photo. I can't imagine having to crawl back to camp. Scary stuff.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

24 Dec

She thought there was no option. I don't think she had water with her so she couldn't very well wait till they raised a search party.

2 people like this

LindaOH

@LindaOHio (209042)

• United States

@JudyEv That's a horrible situation to be in. I'm so glad she made it.

Heather Echola

@GardenGerty (166883)

• United States

24 Dec

Love how Joe is staring straight at the camera. In the wilderness you sometimes find you have to rely on wit and wisdom while waiting for medical help. I am glad for the same in both of the cases. I can see how curved bark would make a natural splint.

2 people like this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

18h

Even now in outback areas in both our countries you need to be resilient and innovative. Those trees in the background are now very tall.

Amber

@AmbiePam (108618)

• United States

24 Dec

Those are the coolest stories. You have the best pictures, too!

2 people like this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (367926)

• Rockingham, Australia

24 Dec

My mother had a great many 'home recipes'. Her mother broke her arm once and didn't have money to go to a doctor so just bandaged it up and carried on. My Mum took over milking the cows for a few months and Grandma managed in the kitchen. I guess it must have been a simple break. The photo is nice, isn't it?

Thanks.