Max has had multiple surgeries and medical emergencies over the past 13 months, most treated at Bega Hospital.

So June has travelled over 10,000 kilometres in that time, just going to and fro from Lochiel to Bega, to be by Max’s bed and support him through what has been an ongoing medical saga.

The experience has left both Max and June “drained, exhausted and tired. I’ve had a pretty hectic life over the past year or so and to be honest it’s been a ‘lost’ year out of our lives,” June said.

Having attended last week’s Public Meeting to Save Pambula Hospital, June said, “To be honest I don’t think Bega Hospital can cope without Pambula Hospital. They must restore services to Pambula.”

Typical of many older locals, the couple in their seventies has worked physically hard all their lives.

Max has had to have major surgeries to replace and repair damaged joints so that he can continue to fulfil his duties with the Rural Land Protection Board, his ‘tinkering’ on the farm and return to his much loved Masonic Hall.

But for Max that presents a real challenge.

Last September Max had surgery to put in a new fibreglass kneecap. The day of his surgery was a non-surgical day at Pambula so Max was sent to Bega.

Five days later with the Bega wards full Max was sent home.

June tells how, within 48 hours of being sent home, Max’s knee literally split open with a massive infection.

“The clips just blew out of his knee. There was blood and pus. I had to clean up the mess with swabs. You can imagine how horrible it was.

“It was Sunday night so Max put up with it until the next day. We went to Pambula Hospital at 9am and were still there at 9pm. They finally got Max in overnight but sent him to Bega next day because there were no beds at Pambula!

“Well Max was in Bega Hospital for the next two and a half months. He had some super-bug from America in the joint that no one here had seen before. It goes straight to the heart and could have killed him. They very nearly amputated his leg.