Midwife of Borneo : the true story of a Geordie pioneer

'Call the Midwife compellingly transposed from the East End of London to the Borneo rainforest'Lynne Tembey, Mothers'Union Worldwide President1959. Newcastle nurse Wendy Grey leaves her comfortable life and answers a call from people in Borneo to run a clinic in a place so remote, many there have never before seen a white woman. Until her arrival, medical witchcraft has been the norm. Nevertheless, Wendy quickly gains the trust of the locals, and they begin to flock to her for treatment. And - terrifyingly - when some require emergency surgery, she must also become anaesthetist and surgeon... or watch her patients die.From treacherous journeys on land and water to tea parties with the governor; from tussles with snakes and scorpions to Scrabble with nuns; from struggling with illness to suddenly falling in love - this unique glimpse into contrasting sides of a lost colonial world is possible thanks to Wendy's detailed diaries, written by the light of an oil lamp in her bamboo and palm-leaf house.Meanwhile, back home, churches throughout the UK are praying for the young woman in Borneo.'A heart-warming adventure... a spellbinding narrative... a step into another world.'Mark Beaumont, adventurer, author and broadcaster Call the Midwife' compellingly transposed from the East End of London to the Borneo jungle! Newcastle 1959. Wendy Grey, a young district nurse, responds to a call for aid from Christians in one of the remotest corners of the world. Officially, she is employed as a health worker running a dispensary as part of the Anglican mission in Tongud, North East Borneo. However, as the only medical practitioner in the region - apart from local witchdoctors - she is obliged to carry out every procedure her patients require, or watch people die. And so Wendy finds herself diagnosing diseases, performing operations (acting as both anaesthetist and surgeon) delivering babies and extracting teeth. When news reaches her of patients too sick to come to the dispensary, she undergoes long and arduous journeys, often travelling for hundreds of miles through the jungle in a dug-out canoe to reach them. Back home, supporters are uplifted by Wendy's selfless, cheerful ministry, horrified by her accounts of close encounters with snakes and crocodiles, and stirred by her courage in the face of hitherto unimaginable challenges. The young woman in Borneo is on the prayer list of every church in North East England