This Page contains the first two Chapters of Bill's Story.

By William Simmons, Australia

COPYRIGHT: William Simmons

This material may be distributed and used for educational purposes as a warning of the health consequences of chemical exposure/s.

Other names herein have been changed.

Please see footnote by Diana Buckland at the end.

CHAPTER 1

During the gulf war many of us were appalled and afraid of the consequences of Saddam Husseins' capability of launching chemical warfare against the Western World. However, we pay scant regard to the farmers in our own country who indiscriminately spray a range of deadly chemicals often risking the life and safety of their employees. Please believe me when I tell you that these chemicals are similar to nerve gas in that they cause both horrific painful disabilities and death. In my case, I would have much preferred to live in Iraq because at least I would have known what to expect. I relocated to a small mallee town several years ago to provide a safe and healthy environment for my wife and four children to grow and enjoy. To make this a reality I was always prepared to work on a variety of farms and do a variety of work. It did not take long before I began to notice a common unsafe use and storage of chemicals. It never occurred to me at the time that I would one day be a victim.

I was working in a vineyard at Wakool in October 1999 when I got sprayed. My life will never be the same. I was working in the vineyard for approximately five months before I got sprayed. The day it happened I was working with the leading hand de-budding vines. The vines we were working in run from row 1 to row 123. At 10.00am we were close to the top of row 68/69 and stopped for morning tea. We had only sat down for some 2-3 minutes when the owner of the property arrived in an octopus double lane sprayer down row 70/71 and sprayed us. The thick vapour was impossible to escape and the smell was repugnant. The owner quickly took off down the next available row and left the property.

I do not believe that this incident was an accident. The owner knew exactly where we were working. He had not been spraying all morning and why would you start spraying in the middle of the patch. I was so disgusted that I expressed my anger to the leading hand and left my employment the same day. Several days after being sprayed and I was eating more and still losing weight. Five weeks after being sprayed I woke and could not manage to put my shoes and socks on to go to work. By lunchtime that 9th day of December 1999 I was quadriplegic. The condition I was diagnosed as having is called Guillain Barre Syndrome. I would like to describe my illness and fightback at a later time. Another disturbing incident occurred shortly after I left the farm. The owner was taking a shortcut by spraying copper at night. He was anticipating that the next day would be fine and clear, conditions required for the harmful effects of the copper to escape into the atmosphere. The following day was cool and overcast making the melon patch dangerous to work in. The owner of the property knew this very well but still insisted on sending backpackers into the melon patch to pick, risking peoples’ lives and health in order to get his product to market early. The irony of this true story is that the load of melons were rejected because they were not ripe. The main focus of my attention now is to prevent these cowboys from killing and destroying peoples’ lives. Society these days do not tolerate people who drive drunk on our roads and the penalties have become quite harsh. I believe a tougher approach is needed to control the use of chemicals on farms in order to make a safe place for people to work and live. Certain procedures if implemented on farms could potentially eliminate current dangerous practices on farms. These procedures should be overseen by a regulatory body. It is my opinion that the following rules should be strictly adhered to:

All employees should be given a list of all chemicals stored or used on that particular farm. This list must contain known harmful effects on humans. Each employee is to sign a register to verify he or she received a copy.

Any person authorised to spray chemicals on farms must log the time, weather conditions before spraying. Spray person must get a signature off every employee stating that they have been informed of chemicals to be sprayed, duration of spray, and the location of the area to be sprayed. All employees working on the farm up to 24 hours after spraying has been concluded must also be advised.

Any chemical misconduct carries a fine of $10,000 for a first offence and suspension of chemical use for 6 months. Any subsequent offence carries a fine of $100,000 and prohibition of chemical use on that farm for life. Any chemical use detected whilst under suspension to carry a minimum 5 year gaol term. It is my strong belief that there is no excuse for chemical incidents to occur. Let us all work together to eradicate these chemical cowboys before too many other innocent people have to suffer. The person who sprayed me has a very high profile in the Bunker Hill area. I can only hope that this high profile person would chance to read this story because he would know it refers to him. Please forgive my anger when I say from the bottom of my heart that the world would be a better place to live if you were not in it. End Chapter 1

CHAPTER 2: LEAVING HOME

Tuesday 23rd October 1999, and I had no idea what would transpire that fateful day. Leaving Winnanbool at 5.45a.m. that morning my only thoughts were of getting to work early and trying to anticipate what work we would do for the day. I always met the leading hand early and we would always talk about the weather. The amount of money we could earn was directly related to the weather. We could work no matter what the temperature would be. The temperature may vary from minus one on a winter’s morning to 50 degrees Celsius on a summer afternoon. However, if it rained we would have to knock off and go home. We never got paid when it rained. We would endeavour to work six days a week and get a hundred hours a fortnight in order to achieve a reasonable wage. This rarely happened as it would usually rain sometime during the fortnight. I am a 50 year old family man with four young children. Christmas was drawing closer and each of my children had their own expectations of what that may bring. I felt a personal obligation to fulfil as many of these dreams as I possibly could. That’s what parents do.

At morning tea on that Tuesday morning I was sprayed with chemicals. My first reaction was of complete shock followed by disgust and anger. " What the hell is going on" I yelled at Barry Smith as he quickly took off on his Octopus Double Lane Sprayer and darted down the next available row again spraying furiously.

The spray was again drifting menacingly toward the area we would resume work. Barry Smith was clad in a white plastic protective suit and was towing his Octopus Spray Unit behind his fully enclosed and air conditioned John Deer tractor. I would not see the owner again as he disappeared down that row and left the property. The leading hand, after being sprayed, ran laterally between the rows trying to escape the lingering mist of vile smelling chemicals. Just writing about this episode and my skin is feeling itchy and my hands moist and clammy. My nose sniffles as to re-detect that awful smell that lingered for so long and which I remember so well. I now resumed work with the intention of catching up to the leading hand. The vines were now wet with chemicals and my mind was clouded with anger as many thoughts kept flashing into my consciousness. What do I say to the leading hand now, will I get sick, would it happen again if I stayed here, what about my family if I leave, how could this happen, surely this was no accident. I stopped to clean my glasses which were covered in what only can be described as a dry acid rain which made me wonder how I could see at all. I could not concentrate on the job as I quickly proceeded to catch up with the leading hand. I could not contain my anger as I approached Frank Faraci and I found myself screaming at him from several yards away. I no longer had the owner to blast and Frank being in a position of authority would now accept the full thrust of my fury. His calming nature only served to fuel my outrage as I was no longer working but walking down the row in complete rage. I feel apologetic now because it was not Frank’s fault that I was sprayed and we had become quite close friends over the past months. I didn’t stop to think that he had been sprayed also. I didn’t stop to think how he was feeling. Frank is a family man also and must also be feeling the pressure of family life getting close to Christmas. For the next hour and a half my mind was racing from thought to thought, sometimes subdued but often out loud. What should I do? Should I work here after being violated? If I left my employment would my wife support my decision? How would my children feel about me if I could not fulfil all of their Christmas dreams?

Lunchtime was soon upon us and I sat down in my car quietly reflecting upon what had happened. Frank and I would usually sit in his car and chat over lunch but not today. I sat in my own car today but did not even contemplate eating. The leading hand was visibly upset with me now and I would not approach him during lunch. In hindsight I cannot blame him. After lunch I explained to the leading hand that I was going home and I would not return to work here. Frank was not happy with my decision but reluctantly accepted my timesheet and would pass on my request to get paid on Friday. Frank ignored me as I got into the car and drove from the farm. I stopped at the farmhouse but the owner was nowhere to be found. It was now 12.50p.m. and I would be home before 2p.m. being a 78 kilometre drive. Far too many unexpected things had happened today and I could not concentrate on the road. Fortunately the traffic was light and the sun was not the problem that it could be later in the afternoon. As I drove slowly along the narrow country roads my mind was focused on the reaction I would get from my wife when the car pulled up into the driveway early.

What would I say to my wife? How would I be financially? How long is it till Christmas? What would I do now? My wife was watering the garden when I arrived home and she quickly came across to open the gates as I pulled into the driveway. As I pulled up to my customary parking space my wife closed the gates behind me. I could sense immediately without talking that she knew something was wrong. Without speaking Cheryl rushed inside and put the kettle on. I collected my work things from the car and followed her into the kitchen where I reached for a beer from the refrigerator and sat down. Cheryl was now sitting at the table drinking her coffee as I fumbled for words to explain to her what had happened. She was totally supportive of my decision to leave my employment and my anger slowly subsided into rational discussion. I now relaxed with a second beer as I was beginning to feel more comfortable. My children would arrive home from school at 3.15p.m. so I decided to have a shower and freshen up a bit before they got home. My children only have a block and a half to walk home but never arrive together.

I greeted them all in turn as they arrived but didn’t satisfy their curiosity as to why I was early until they all had arrived. I have always made it a policy in this household to discuss all important issues with the children and today was exception. Although my children were aged ten, eight, six, and four at the time I still believe they are made to feel part of the family when they are involved, even when they don’t understand fully what is going on.

I was now feeling much more relaxed and better about myself. I decided to give George White a ring. He had a farm approximately 20 kilometres from Euston which is 80 kilometres from home. He had new vines along the Murray River and also grew potatoes on contract for Smith’s Crisps. I had worked for him previously and believed that he was happy with the work I had done for him. As it turned out Tony was looking to start people on the following Monday and he was glad I had rung. My spirits were lifted immediately. The job would come with added responsibility of running the potato shed and a substantial pay rise and bonus system. My children would not miss out after all. I would start work the following Monday and my immediate concerns had all but disappeared. I also had a few days to do a few jobs around the house that I had been promising for so long.

By Saturday the 27th of October I had noticed that my appetite had increased dramatically and yet I was losing quite a lot of weight. I was concerned enough to discuss this with my wife but at the time it did not occur to me that it was the result of the pesticide spray. I have since learned that this type of weight loss is a common symptom in immune system disorders. The correlation between the spray and weight loss now leaves me in no doubt that these were in fact the events which led to my horrific illness. My wife was now urging me to see a doctor but I would have to go on Monday, the day I would start my new job. I certainly did not need any further disruptions to my work plans before Christmas. Besides that, I never liked to visit doctors and would usually go out of my way to avoid them. Monday morning came and I was up extra early and on my way to work. Everything was going to be alright. I arrived at work early and George White had immediate cause to comment on how much weight I had lost. I didn’t pay much attention because I was actually feeling quite well. I told myself that if we got a rainy day and I couldn’t work then I would see a doctor. In the back of my mind though I always knew that if the time came I would just make another excuse why I could not go.

I was happy working on this farm. I was given more responsibility and I always felt appreciated for the effort that I put in. I knew all the regular workers here and we always got on well together. Although I continued to lose weight over the next couple of weeks I still felt quite well. I was telling myself that this was probably normal given the fact that I was working up to 13 hours a day in the open in temperatures which mostly exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Wednesday December 8 and I was running the potato shed on the farm. My job was to organise truck drivers, complete all documentation for bulk loads, estimate weights of loads, load trucks with a bulk loading elevator and to provide the final quality inspection of potatoes as I loaded them. This was in addition to organising the shed staff and giving instructions to potato harvester. It was important if it was a last load not to harvest too many as they would not last overnight in the extreme heat. Whenever I noticed that the shed hands were sending through inferior quality produce I would throw a potato at the iron shed where they worked. I would then slow down the system until such time as they got it right. We had three truck loads to do today and we never had any breakdowns as we often did, the three loads would involve loading 120 tonne of potatoes. We would finish a little early today which would be a nice change. On occasions when things have gone wrong we have been loading well into the night under lights.

We had truck cancellations the following day and I had arranged to start work early and do some work in the grapevines. We would start at 7.00a.m. when we worked in the vines in order to escape the afternoon heat. Our starting time in the potato shed would be determined by the truck booking times. Wednesday afternoon and I dropped Wally off at Euston on my way home. It was now about 4p.m. in the afternoon and I was travelling between Robinvale and Winnanbool when I fell asleep at the wheel. I woke when my early model Datsun sedan hit the gravel on the wrong side of the road. Fortunately there was no traffic and I managed to pull up just before I came to grief in the mallee scrub. I was still shaken several minutes after the incident. I had never fallen asleep at the wheel before. This was not the longest day I spent at work nor was it the hottest or hardest. I had felt a lot more tired on other occasions without falling asleep at the wheel. Slowly I gathered my composure and drove home very slowly, constantly shaking my head to make sure that I was still awake. After greeting the family at home I quickly went for a shower which made me feel a lot better. I sat down for dinner and ate a triple serving of stew which had become quite the norm for me over the last 5 weeks. A normal size meal was now never enough and yet my weight was still slowly diminishing. My height is 5 feet 11 inches and my current weight is 81 kilograms. Five and a half weeks ago before I was sprayed I was 94 kilograms. Wednesday evening I watched a movie on Austar and retired to bed at about 9p.m. after getting my four children off to bed. I would have to get up at 4.30a.m. and an early night was not an unusual thing for me. Thursday morning I woke as usual to the sounds of the roosters well before my alarm clock would have gone off. I got straight up gathering my work clothes, which I would leave in the kitchen on my way to the toilet. I was always very careful not to wake the children in the morning. I put my trousers on then my flannelette shirt and got my lunch ready for work. I would always leave my work boots and socks till last. I now sat down at the kitchen table to eat two pieces of toast and vegemite with my cup of coffee I had made for breakfast. After devouring my toast, and while my coffee was cooling a little, I bent down from my chair and grabbed my socks. I was absolutely astounded to find that I did not have the dexterity in my hands to put my socks on.

What was going on? As much as I tried I could not get those socks on. There is no pain, “this is stupid” I thought to myself. I shook my head, shook my hands, nothing would work. I took time out to consider what was happening to me.

"Have a cup of coffee" I said to myself as I tried to gather my composure. I now could not pick up my cup. I just sat there bemused for what seemed like an eternity. It was now 5.45a.m. and I would surely be late for work. Cheryl soon awoke and came through the kitchen on her way to the toilet. She looked surprised to see me still at home. She now made some coffee and asked what time I was going to work. I explained to her that I should have left half an hour ago but I couldn’t get my shoes and socks on. She laughed in disbelief as any one would having been told a tale like that. I was forced to endorse my earlier remarks "I’m fair dinkum, I can’t put my socks on. I cant even pick up my coffee." My wife now still laughing but without another word came over and put my shoes and socks on. Now my shoes and socks were on was I now expected to drive the car and work when my hands were now almost completely paralysed. I would now ring my employer but I could not lift the receiver let alone dial the numbers.

What would I tell him? I decided I would not try to explain what was happening to me this morning. That would sound just too bizarre. Cheryl dialled the numbers and held the phone to my ear while I told the employer that I was not feeling well. I was actually feeling fine, I was in no pain or discomfort, but I was now very concerned about what was happening to me. I then rang Wally, with my wife's assistance, and told him I could not pick him up and take him to work this morning. Life without hands must be hard to cope with I thought as I now moved to the lounge room and sat down to watch the morning business news. Surely my new eccentric problem was only some kind of temporary glitch. As I sat watching the television I could now notice the strength being sapped and extending upwards towards my elbows. I dare not say anything to anyone now as I did not want to alarm anyone. My wife was now busy getting the children out of bed and ready for school. The occasional shout of disapproval could be heard as the children would not cooperate as required. Cheryl would have the children’s schoolbags ready, lunches prepared, faces washed and clothing inspected with time to spare before it was time to walk to school.

It was now 8.15a.m. and the children were all ready and waiting in the lounge room where we chatted casually about what would happen at school today. As I chatted to the children I could feel the weakness extending up my arms and it was becoming increasingly difficult to lift my arms from the chair’s armrest. I would try not to alarm the children and tried to act as normally as I could. I had explained to them that I was a little tired and left it at that. At 8.35a.m. Cheryl left with the children to walk them to school. She would stop at the post office and collect the mail at 9.00a.m. on her way home. Often a trip to the main street could take quite some time as everybody knows each other in these small towns. A trip to get the mail is like a real social gathering and Cheryl always liked to be a part of that in case someone would drop a bit of topical gossip. The sudden silence was overwhelming as I now had time to contemplate what was happening to me. My fears of financial instability and family concerns which were so evident some five weeks ago came flooding back re-establishing a new uncertainty. I must stay calm and not alarm my wife and children. Cheryl soon returned home and gave me the mail which I couldn’t open. There was little of any importance anyway.

Cheryl was now insistent that I go to the hospital. I kept telling her that it was just some kind of dizzy spell that would clear itself soon. Cheryl now having had enough of my stubborn attitude, started the housework, putting the laundry out and collecting the morning breakfast dishes ready to wash. After being seated for several hours I decided to stand up and stretch my legs for a while. As I stood my legs buckled from the knees and I went crashing forward onto the jarrah polished floorboards. My wife hearing the vibrations came running in to see what was wrong. By the time she arrived I had managed to get myself on all fours. It took her all her strength to help me back onto my chair. " That’s it, your going to hospital' she said in an agitated voice. Again I assured her I would be alright and refused to let her take me to hospital or ring a doctor. I told her if I fell again I would go. She left in a rage and went out the back to peg the washing on the line. It wasn’t long before I fell again this time from the sitting position of my chair. My wife was still out the back and I didn’t want her to see me like this.

I now had no strength left from my elbows down to my hands or my knees down to my feet. I managed to crawl from the lounge room down the hallway to the front door. The front door was open as it usually is in summer and I pushed the wire security door open with my head. I crawled out onto the front verandah where I got myself to the edge next to a verandah post. Pushing my legs over the side onto the grass I was able to attain the sitting position. I now used my upper arms to bearhug the verandah post and heave myself up. My wife soon came to the front of the house to see what I was doing. "See I’m fine" I told her as I clutched the verandah post for dear life. I must have been a little dizzy before I explained but now I’m fine. The words had no sooner left my mouth when I came crashing down on the lawn, my arms no longer with the strength to hold me up. "This time you are going to hospital you stubborn idiot". Cheryl ran inside to get the car keys and summoned me to the car. I was still able to crawl on all fours across the lawn to the car where Cheryl had the front passenger door open ready. It took a combined effort to get me in the car where I could only lean against the door once it was closed. Cheryl was telling me I must have had a heart attack or some kind of stroke. The Winnanbool hospital is only about 800 metres from my place so our trip only took a few minutes. We arrived at the hospital at about 11a.m. My wife had now taken charge of the situation and I would now do as I was told. "Stay there and don’t move" she said as she ran to the reception desk to ask for help. Two nurses soon appeared and transferred me into a wheelchair escorting me inside

My wife now drove my car home and would walk back to the hospital. She does not have a license to drive because she has been having operations on her eyes for cataract blindness. I was placed in a waiting room and waited quite some time before Dr Steve Wise would arrive. He required the assistance of the nurses to get me onto an examination trolley. After explaining to Dr Wise what was happening to me I got the distinct impression that he did not believe me. Maybe I was wasting his time I thought. I had my tonsils out when I was four years old and had rarely seen a doctor since and I was now 48. Dr Wise assured me that he believed me but had no idea as to any possible diagnosis. My movement was now confined to my head, nothing else would move. Yes, I was now quadriplegic. Dr Wise would ask questions then disappear for long periods before returning to ask more questions. In the meantime my wife had assessed that my condition was serious. She decided to go to the school and bring my four children to the hospital to see me. This I greatly appreciated as I was unsure still of the outcome of my illness or how much further I would deteriorate. Dr Wise finally came in and said he had a good idea of what my problem was. He said I had a rare condition known as Guillain Barre Syndrome. This was the diagnosis after much consultation with colleagues and specialists in Clarinda.

The doctor now informed me that I would be escorted to Melbourne by air ambulance and he quickly left to make urgent arrangements. While he was away confirming travel details I couldn’t help but notice the frightened looks on the faces of my wife and children. I tried to make jokes and lighten them up for this was hurting me much more than them to see them that way. By playing down my ailment I hoped to give them reassurance. It was now quite late in the afternoon and Steve Wise informed me that it would be impossible to get an air ambulance here before dark and our tiny airstrip did not have landing lights. He would now escort me personally by ambulance to Bunker Hill where I would wait at the hospital there for an air ambulance to take me to Essendon airport where an ambulance would be waiting to take me to Byrneside hospital. Nurses were now summoned to connect intravenous as a matter of precaution for my impending journey. "Will he be home for Christmas" my wife asked the doctor as we waited for the ambulance. He explained to her that some people recovered very quickly from this disease and some in a matter of weeks. A few hours earlier he had no idea what was wrong with me but now he spoke as if he knew exactly what was happening. Listening quietly to what he was saying I believed that I was stronger and fitter than most my age and I would recover in a couple of weeks. The rest would probably do me the world of good. The ambulance soon arrived and I was quickly loaded onto the trolley and placed in the back. My wife and children were allowed to get in the back with me to say their goodbyes. I always remember feeling that I was glad that this was my family. Ann-Marie, my eldest daughter, gave me a dolphin she had made in craft at school and told me to keep it with me always as it would bring me luck. In fact wherever I would go I always made sure that I could see that dolphin. It was now my link to home where I belonged.

As I looked toward the rear of the ambulance I could now see my family standing together, my wife overcome with emotion as the tears visibly and profusely streamed down her cheeks. I too was choked with emotion as the rear doors of the ambulance were closed on us. I had never been away from home for more than a day in my whole 13 years of marriage. As the ambulance pulled out of the hospital and into Pioneer street I could still see the stunned look on my family’s' faces as the children continued to wave goodbye. As we gathered speed I looked out the window to see the house where I lived and enjoyed so much and tried to picture its every detail to store in my memory. This was very important to me for I knew not when I would see this place again. END CHAPTER 2