Author: Geraldine Fela^[1]
Publisher: UNSW Press
Reviewer: James McNab

The recent times of Covid 19 have shown us that not all heroes wear capes. At time, nurses and other health professionals went into unknown levels of danger to help others. They were brave, no medals, just the occasional thank you.

This, however, was not the first time in recent history where nurses and other health professionals went to work, putting aside their own fears of harm, to help others.  A generation or so before the bravery of our nurses during Covid 19, there was the bravery and dedication of nurses who cared for people struck down during the height of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s and 1990’s.

At that time, there was no effective treatment. Being diagnosed with the disease was a death sentence.

The book is written from oral history interviews undertaken between 2017 and 2021 with 33 nurses. The nurses who were interviewed worked in various areas during the height of the epidemic such as prisons, clinics and rural and large metropolitan hospitals. They share their lived experiences from that time.

The book traverses the emergence of the epidemic and the impacts that it had on all areas of society including patients, their families, politics and public health. It speaks to the challenges of the disease and its response in Indigenous communities and rural and regional areas. It interestingly discusses the role that unions also played in supporting nurses advocating and undertaking public health campaigns around the disease. These health campaigns were opposed by many in the medical profession.

This book catalogues the work nurses did, the care and compassion that was shown without judgment, when knowledge about the disease was limited, fear was extreme, and homophobia and prejudice was rife.

The book provides a great insight into the role nurses played caring for patients with HIV/AIDS during those very frightening and, indeed, sad times during the height of the AIDS epidemic. The book is somewhat strangely uplifting and provides faith in humanity. It really shows that nursing is indeed “the caring profession”.

In short, the book is great read.

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[1] Geraldine Fela is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Macquarie

Author: Judy Ryan[1]
Publisher: Scribe Publications
Reviewer: James McNab

This is a book about the ripple effects of heroin addiction. It addresses the associated issues within the Melbourne inner city community of Richmond and the ultimate introduction by the Victorian Government of safe injecting rooms. The book highlights the strength of a community voice as agents of change for local issues. Specifically, it demonstrates how all levels of government need help from the community in addressing the insidious addiction not only of heroin, which is featured in the book, but indeed of all addictive drugs.

The author, Judy Ryan, shares her personal account of people using drugs and drug addicts in her neighbourhood until she reached breaking point in 2016. That point was when she saw yet another young man slumped in a local laneway. Fortunately, he survived the overdose. Sadly, the author had also been touched previously by the horrors of addiction, with a family member having passed away due to drugs.

The author recounts how she embarked upon attempting to change policy, views and laws and details the obstacles she encountered during that process. The book shows how she was able to garner support over time from journalists, medical experts, politicians, and police.

After much campaigning, the steadfast attitudes against safe injecting rooms began to mellow. A major stakeholder in the debate was the Victorian Police Union which, ultimately, said that they “would not oppose a safe injecting facility in Richmond”. This was in many ways a watershed moment in the campaign and momentum for change gained more pace and support.

Without fanfare, the safe injecting room opened a day early on 30 June 2018.

The book is very insightful of the community issues and prejudice relating to drug addiction. It really demonstrates how a driven community can instigate and achieve change.

At an RRP of $32.99, it represents great value. It is also available electronically.

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[1] Judy Ryan moved to inner city Melbourne in 2012. In 2016 she launched the campaign to commence a safe injecting room in Richmond Victoria. She has also run for election in all three levels of government in Victoria