The life of a country doctor who still makes house calls
When you’re a GP practising in the platteland, your life is quite different to that of your peers in the city. Photographer Sam Reinders documented the life of Prince Albert’s doctor.
Like so many other professionals his age, Pete Reinders dreamt – for years – of moving to a small town, of opting out, of breathing out. It took some years (mostly waiting patiently for his children to fly the coop) but in 2004 the dream finally became a reality and he moved to Prince Albert in the Karoo. Life in the fast-paced city is now firmly in his rear-view mirror. And he’s not turning around.
Pete is not just any plattelander, though. He is also my father. These photos are a result of years of watching proudly as he and my mother Megan have adjusted to a new life in the Karoo.
Moving to Prince Albert was never a retirement plan. It can be argued that he’s busier now than he ever was at his city practice. But it’s a different kind of busy. There is a happiness that emanates from him as he goes about his work and life.
When I asked him to answer a few questions about these photographs, he chatted so long my phone battery eventually died.
Regrets? “Not a single one.”
The dust never settles
If patients need to be evacuated in a hurry, the medevac helicopter flies in from George. With a swirl of dust it lands on the small gravel patch outside the even smaller government hospital as curious onlookers gather. It can...
Is that MacGyver in the mirror?
“Making the move to a small town will always be an adjustment. But you do adjust. You roll with it. I like to say I have a bloudraad philosophy. When something goes wrong you have to find a way to fix it. And if you put...
The life of a country doctor
Pete’s surgery has, and continues to see, a vast array of patients, not all of the human variety. He has patched up a black eagle, vaccinated a meerkat, and set the legs of goats, sheep and even a chicken in plaster of...
‘Can you hear me now?’
“The sense of community in a small dorp is its heartbeat. I find it hard to go on holiday; I worry about my patients.” Here, Pete climbs a windmill in the Kalahari while on holiday to get a strong enough signal to check in with...
Time to breathe
Stress release takes different forms in a small town. Pete has a farmyard directly behind his surgery and nips out, in-between appointments, to feed his evergrowing flock or to water his beloved vegetables, all grown from seed. (He’s...
‘I’m on my way, Tannie’
Making house calls, an antiquated practice in the city, is a regular part of Pete’s day. Some patients live within walking distance (that’s the beauty of a small town), whereas others are further afield… like 100km away. You’ll...
‘ Together we’ll make it better’
Gone are the days of having to squeeze as many consultations as possible into a day. You have more time to follow up with patients. You have a cup of coffee (or something a little stronger), you catch up on their news,...
Pete Reinders has a small surgery on his property (100m from his house, making commuting a breeze), but you’ll often see him at the homes of his patients.
“I won’t lie. As a doctor, moving to a small town, far from specialists and life-saving...
All in the family
As a registrar many years ago at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, Pete trained as a gynaecologist. Although he never specialised, it seems this training has turned out to be valuable, especially when his sheep and goats give...