I arrived at Kiwirrkurra after two days on the road including a five-hour dialysis session for Patrick and a Papunya Tula AGM in Kintore.
Patrick's excitement when I picked him up from the hostel in Alice was palpable. We had the usual drama about the key card with no number and a bit of tension about me not buying him orange juice. I only learnt 20 minutes before that orange juice and bananas are a 'no go' for dialysis patients. I also found out that more than 500ml of fluid a day is a health risk. That's pretty tough when it is 40 degrees in the shade!
Dialysis patients don't piss, so they are the perfect companion for a long road trip.
Patrick Tjungarryi is a senior Pintupi man who grew up in Balgo Hills. He is a Papunya Tula shareholder and one of Australia's most collectable artists. His paintings feature prominently in the Canning Stock Route exhibition currently touring Australia.
In 2008 the Northern Territory government refused to allow Patrick to come to Alice Springs for dialysis. They told him he would have to move to Perth. Advocacy from a number of NGOs lead by Western Desert Nganampa Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation (WDNWPT) reversed this decision and caused Minister Snowdon to commission a report into renal health in Central Australia. (WDNWPT delivers nurse assisted dialysis in Kintore, Lajamanu and Yuendumu, and supports Western Desert Dialysis patients in Alice Springs through the Purple House.)
Patrick learned to do peritoneal dialysis and returned home to Kiwirrkurra, and cared for himself for two years. An infection meant he could no longer do this and he was forced to leave Kiwirrkurra to access dialysis treatment in Alice Springs. Alice Springs is Arrente country. Pintupi forced to leave their communities and live on another person's land experience significant homesickness and a sense of shame.
The six hours to Kintore were uneventful. I've done the trip a couple of times before but it's been a few years. We passed through Papunya and Mt Liebig on the way. By the time we got to Mt Liebig the store was shut so Patrick and I made do with crackers and cheese. I asked him if he wanted some of my apples but he told me