Dr Tom sets sail to check up on people
SEAFARING doctor Tom Mulholland does not want to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, so he parked it at the top of the wharf.
Dr Mulholland and his two helpers are docked at Steamer Basin in Dunedin this week, testing people in highrisk workplaces for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and stress.
The three travel on his catamaran. He flies to the last location and drives the ambulance on which they give the tests.
‘‘I trained at Dunedin Hospital a long time ago. I live on a boat in Auckland because I can’t afford a house up there, so I’ve got this retro Chevy V8 ambulance, and we’ve been the ambulance at the top of the cliff.’’
For four years, he has been providing free tests for people in the forestry, farming and fishing industries.
He found many people in the early stages of preventable illnesses.
Dr Tom has labelled his latest voyage the Hopp tour, which stands for ‘‘healthy oceans, people and ports’’.
He started the trip in September and it will finish in March next year.
He is also holding free talks at yacht clubs, including the Otago club on Monday.
They arrived at the weekend and will leave tomorrow if the weather holds up.
A stormy Tuesday popped one of the fenders on the boat, he said.
The team also had to call police this week when someone tried to steal an inflatable dingy from the top of the boat by cutting through the rope.
‘‘Not really the southern hospitality I’m used to down here.’’
As they ventured further south, there were fewer facilities for the boat, he said.
‘‘So we’ve got no power or water here. We’re too wide to go into the yacht club.’’
After Dunedin, the boat will travel to Stewart Island and then Bluff.
The journey is funded by corporate sponsors.