Carmel Mararet Hurst as a civilian nurse, Government Surgical Team interviewed by Greg Swanborough for 'The sharp end'

Scene F Take 1; part of the surgical team selected from the Royal Brisbane hospital in 1967-1968; describes the appalling conditions at Bien Hoa hospital; the daily work routine; Take 2. work entailed essentially looking after civilian war causalities; the surgeon was good at hair lip surgery and did many of theses; Take 3; describes operations on children ; she felt that they were there as Australia's conscience doing patch up work; the people would be sent back to the same conditions of poor food, hygiene, water and the war; it would have been better teaching them about hygiene and nutrition; experience of the 1968 Tet offensive and the fighting at the Long Binh base; how the days seemed to blend into on another; after dark no casualties were brought in by helicopter; the types of wounds; it seemed all so stupid, hopeless and ridiculous; some of the team went as doves and some as hawks and that no one appear to change over; she was a dove; there were only six white women in the area and they were in demand for parties by the Americans and Australians; the team appreciated their own company; an orphanage was attached to the hospital and the nuns were good at getting support from the team; Take 4. it was just like the film/television show MASH which interpolates humour with tragedy; half hysterical half the time; closing thoughts are that we really didn't learn anything; that as the conscience for the Australian government it was a waste of time; her love for the Vietnamese people and friendship with female Vietnamese interpreter.