June 8th 2017

Falklands
Denise Kemp

Denise has a wealth of knowledge to impart on the life and countryside of the Falkland Islands.

Denise laid out her table with photos, mementoes, a blow up globe and pieces of craft work. She has a lively personality and bubbled with enthusiasm about her time in the Falkland Islands.

Denise was a Health Visitor at a surgery in Moulton, when one day flicking through a health journal she found an advert for a Health Visitor in the Falkland Islands. She thought - this sounds interesting, I'll give it a go. To her surprise, a phone call from Stanley, the capital, informed her that her CV was interesting and would she like the job. A little taken aback but nevertheless interested she asked when would they like her to start and was told - next week! After putting them off briefly because she had to sort out her house for rental, she found herself at Brize Norton waiting to be transported to the Falkland Islands to start a new chapter in her life. 

She stayed there for three years and had many tales to tell, photos to share and mementoes to talk about.

The Health Service in the Falkland Islands is very good and paid for by themselves. The babies and children, of which she was in charge, were screened more than British children and consequently problems are picked up earlier and dealt with.

She told us that there are 2500 civilians on the islands and 2500 military personnel. Milton Malsor has a population of about 900 and Bugrooke is about the same size as Stanley, their capital city.