Our monthly speaker for August was Samantha Clarke, Victorian Ambassador for the global Mercy Ships charity. Samantha was originally a hairdresser whose career took her into roles including aide to a former Australian Prime Minister. She described the volunteer-run hospital ship Global Mercy, the largest civilian hospital ship in the world. It was built in 2022 from donations of more than $300m and run by volunteer medicos and crew – who even pay their own living costs aboard.
Its companion ship is Africa Mercy. They both provide life-restoring surgery to sub-
Saharan Africa and other third world countries.
About two-thirds of the globe’s population have zero access to modern medical care. Samantha described how each ship docks and gets the word out to impoverished towns and villages that aid is available. Sometimes queues of a thousand distressed children and adults form at the wharf– many having walked for days in the hope of treatment.
They have to be screened and triaged to select suitable cases for each ship and its six or so theatres with specialist surgeons and nurses.
She showed inspiring pictures of children with facial deformities or severe burns from household cooking pots, and their restoration to happy and lively activity. Operations include removal of large tumours, repair of cleft lips and palates and limb deformities, eye cataract removal, and essential dentistry. For some patients, an operation lasting only a few hours transforms a life previously marked by disability, pain or social isolation.
Samantha, who came with her 9yo Hugh, fielded our many questions and left us inspired by those who give their time and skills to the world’s unfortunates.