EVERYDAY PEOPLE - Nicholas White - A trip of a lifetime

Nicholas White was born in Inverell, Northern New South Wales, and grew up with two siblings: an older sister and a younger brother. The family later moved to Narrabri, where Nicholas was raised on a farm. His father was a Broadacre farmer, cultivating wheat, cereals, pulses, and sometimes cotton.

Nicholas excelled academically and earned a scholarship to attend boarding school in Toowoomba, where his grandparents lived. He spent his school leave with them, a time that he treasures.

As a teenager, he always enjoyed science and had a particular interest in marine studies and biology. During high school, he had the chance to do work experience at the local dentist's office. Everything fell into place and Nicholas completed a three-year science degree at a university in Brisbane and then a four-year dentistry degree in Sydney, dedicating a total of seven years to his education in these fields.

In his third year of dentistry, Nicholas did a dental elective in Ludhiana, the largest city in Punjab and did some community dental clinics.

Now forty-five years old, Nicholas is married to Emilie and has three beautiful daughters: Alexandra, 14, Genevieve, 12, and Stephanie, 10.

He now owns a dental practice, White Dental Co., which opened during the upheaval of the COVID pandemic and has been operating from his current premises in Urraween for just over three years.

Earlier this year, Dr. Nicholas and his wife were approached by Lars and Carla Olsen from the Power of Passion Project, who were going to Nepal to work on some projects. Lars has a long history of voluntary and humanitarian work in Nepal.

It had been identified that the village of Harpan would benefit from a dental camp and Nicholas was invited to provide voluntary dental services there. After extensive planning, Nicholas and his family travelled to Nepal.

The dental project was a collaboration between the Power of Passion Project, the Rotary Club of Dhulikhel, and the Rotary Club of Hervey Bay Sunrise. This was Nicholas's first time volunteering his services overseas, but he recalled his time in India and thought he might have some idea of what to expect.

He worked alongside four national Nepali dentists, who handled translation and patient history-taking. Nicholas assisted with treatment planning and delivery. They went with two mobile dental chairs and units, each with its own compressor and water system, allowing the dentists to perform fillings, scaling, and extractions.

During the three-day dental camp, the five dentists saw over one hundred patients per day, totalling about three hundred patients. The most common conditions they treated were dental decay and gum disease (periodontal disease), along with loose and broken teeth.

The group camped on the grounds of Janasiddha School in Harpan Village, which had been severely damaged by an earthquake in 2015. The school is part of the "Let's Build it Together" Project, aimed at constructing an earthquake-safe school.

On their first night, they experienced a wild monsoon storm, and the weather was hot and humid. With the Himalayas as their backdrop, they could see Annapurna, the world’s tenth-highest peak. the group woke up to this spectacular view each morning.

After the three-day camp, the group headed back to Pokhara. From there, they went on a short trek at Poon Hill and reached an altitude of about 3,100 meters. Over four days, they trekked more than forty-two kilometres, ascending from approximately 1,500 meters to 3,100 meters and then descending back down.

Nicholas took away from the experience a deep appreciation for the gratitude shown by the Nepalese people who were genuinely appreciative of the treatment they received and did not take it for granted.

He was also struck by the warmth and resilience of the children, who endured their conditions with remarkable resilience. This experience reinforced for him how much we have to be thankful for here in Australia.

By Kim Parnell

From What’s On Fraser Coast