Two weeks passed and I heard
nothing from the Guardianship Board. I rang them,
only to be told by Margaret Watson that “I
had misunderstood their role”. They
were not in a position to pick up people and have
them admitted to hospital! I was told by her that I
would have to do that! So, I had been
persuaded to file the applications under false
pretences!
All in all it took me 8 weeks, from when I first went
to the local doctor in Sydney, until the 4th of
February 1997 when a nurse, Shelly Taylor, from the
Prince Alfred Hospital and a social worker took my
husband to Rozelle Psychiatric Hospital,
rather than Prince Alfred Hospital, “for his
own safety” I was told. I was just so
relieved that he was finally getting the attention
that he needed. The weight off my shoulders
wasn’t gone long, when it began to build up
again.
I called Rozelle Hospital regularly, enquiring as to
tests given my husband, what treatment he was
receiving and how he was faring generally. Everyone
was very evasive with their answers, both at Rozelle
and Balmain Hospitals. The Doctor in charge at
Rozelle, Dr Skarbek refused to believe that it was I
who had worked so hard to get my husband admitted for
treatment.
I rang the ward on a regular basis and it was not
until some 7 weeks later that I happened to contact a
night nurse who allowed me to speak to my husband.
No-one had told me that my husband was capable of
conversing on the phone, prior to this time. The
first thing my husband told me was that he wanted
out. So, I told him I’d get him out as soon as
possible.
In the meantime I was having mixed vibes about
Margaret Watson at the Guardianship Board. She
was contacting people I didn’t even know, who
had nothing to do with our lives. She made a big
issue of these people’s comments regarding my
husband’s welfare. Where were these people when
my husband needed them?? It appeared to me that she
had been organising the involvement of these other
persons. She was supposed to be a collector of facts
not ‘suspect’ witnesses for her
‘team’.
I organised with Dr Skarbeck to take my husband out
on Day Leave from the hospital prior to the hearing (
which I had requested be withdrawn). I was to contact
her prior to my leaving Hervey Bay and she would
organise it with the Ward Staff. I did this, but she
was unavailable. I contacted the ward Sister who said
she would take care of it for me.
I arrived at Rozelle Hospital around 11:00a.m. on
26th March 1997 to be greeted by my husband, who immediately
knew who I was. I was then told by the ward staff
that Dr Skarbek had been to a ‘case
meeting’ the day before, with the Guardianship
Board and had made a notation on my
husband’s chart that he was not
to leave the hospital grounds with
me and I was to be told he was
incontinent.
I demanded to see Dr Skarbeck only to be told she
wasn’t available. I broke down and cried. The
Sister on duty felt sorry for me and suggested that I
might talk to one of the other doctors but I would
have to wait until he was available. We waited until
2:30p.m. when a Professor Snowden joined us in the
grounds. He spent time explaining in layman’s
terms the tests performed on my husband and their
results. After about an hour of conversation he gave
me permission to take my husband out on leave from
the hospital.
The shirt and trousers I had brought for my husband
to wear mysteriously disappeared and he had to leave
in a track suit. Of course, once I got him in the car
I headed straight out of Sydney! Our first stop was
Tamworth some 5 hours later and he
showed no signs of incontinence. At
the time, he also knew where we were going, Hervey
Bay. It is now 3 years later and he
still isn’t incontinent!
I intended to contact the hospital once we arrived
home and let them know Mr Furner would not be
returning and I also needed to know what medication
he was requiring and the dosages. I was only home 5
minutes after a 16 hour trip, to have the police
knock on my door asking my husband’s whereabouts
and they had been informed that I had “kidnapped”
him. They left, laughing about the kidnap accusation.
The hospital is supposed to wait 48 hours before
notifying police that a patient has not been returned
but in my case they made an
exception and the police
were informed within 16 hours.