MARY Gibson has lived on a hilltop property in Talarm for more than 40 years.
A dedicated gardener, conservationist and active member of the community, Mary also has a remarkable tale of recovery to share.
Her pleasant and fruitful daily existence took a shocking turn on the morning of December 9, 2022, when she took a tractor down the hill to do some slashing.
“I love getting on my little tractor,” Mary told NOTA.
“It was such a lovely cool December day, but there was a watering hose across the track, so I got off the tractor to shift it out of the way.
“Then the tractor started to move forward.
“I know you’re not supposed to stop a tractor in motion, but I grabbed the steering wheel and pulled.”
The tractor, now stopped in its downhill trajectory by a stand of lomandra (native grass), ended up pinning her right leg under its wheel.
Mary lay stuck with her right calf under the tractor wheel, trapped in her predicament for two days, knowing her sister in Tasmania would be ringing, as was a daily routine.
Surprisingly, Mary does not recall any initial pain.
“Occasionally I felt an annoying feeling, like being bitten by jumping jack ants, which I knew I could cope with,” she said.
As the day and that Friday night stretched on, Mary’s only reference to time was the familiar bird calls – the kookaburra at nightfall and first thing in the morning and the koel whose call resounds during the night.
In hindsight, Mary believes she must have been hallucinating, but later was told she had suffered a stroke induced by shock.
Part two coming soon.
By Jen HETHERINGTON
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