The only rural launch in Australia!

Mount Gambier is a city of 24,000 and regional centre for south east South Australia known as the "Limestone Coast" as well as towns in south west Victoria.

Only three health services at Millicent, Naracoorte and Mount Gambier provide obstetric services so women have to travel significant distances (1 - 1½ hours) to have their babies with considerable disruption to family life resulting.

The NMAP launch in Mount Gambier on Thursday 26th September was organised by Suzie, a midwife with a vision for rural women to be able to access the same choices of care currently only available to those who live in metropolitan areas.

It was a small gathering at the Civic Centre Courtyard. Five midwives, three mothers/consumers (two passing through taking their children to the library), one councillor from the city council and 2 local citizens (invited to help create a crowd!)

O'Connor Airlines sponsored two return flights from Adelaide so that Brian Peat, Obstetrician at Women's & Children's Hospital and Carol Thorogood, a midwifery scholar from Flinders University ("on loan" from Western Australia) could attend to speak and support Suzie. It is of note that the midwife who works with Brian when asked would she see the women who had appointments that morning, stated that she would be delighted to do so! Brian aptly likened the current system of care to a car production assembly line.

With every CEO/DON of each health service, Regional Health officers, GP's, local obstetricians, councils and state/federal MP's invited but not attending (most did not even RSVP), one could perhaps consider that we were preaching to the converted. However, with media coverage achieved in print (Border Watch), on radio (ABC 5MG) and TV (WIN), the news is out re what the NMAP can bring forth. The Mount Gambier City councillor as a result of speaking with one of the local citizens (who just happens to be from The Netherlands!) has been converted. Others will be too.

Conceived NMAP is. Develop it will as we together continue to push for birth reform. Hopefully the gestation period will bring a premature birth of the long overdue benefits needed for women to birth in whatever manner they choose.

My thanks go to Cheryl Glenie for first asking me if I would like to organise a launch and then encouraging me when things were not coming together......They did in end. Also to Roslyn Donnellan-Fernandez for providing constructive feedback on my speech and all the other independent midwives who gave encouragement - you know who you are.