Today we had a most inspiring man visit our English class. Dr Kunio Imada’s nick name is “Honu”, which in Tahitian means “green sea turtle”. It was given to him in that country because he spent so much time in the water. But he is not Tahitian, he is Japanese and a professional diver. He is also one of the founding members of “Medecins sans frontieres“. Back 35 years ago, when the organisation was born, there were 7 dedicated doctors, now there are over 10,000 of them – all over the world.
When he came into the classroom, he was limping because of a leg injury sustained about 4 months ago in Afghanistan, when his jeep, carrying 4 foreign doctors, was shot at by American snipers (they could tell from the bullets), despite the fact that the vehicle had a red cross painted on the side. He was shot in the leg. Two other men were shot, when the same bullet passed through the shoulder of the first, and lodged into the second. Luckily, he said, the truck was bouncing around on the rough road. Had it not bounced up at that particular moment, the first man would have been shot in the head. Another time, just after 9/11 when he was in Afghanistan with American bombs raining around them, the truck that he was in, bringing medical supplies from Peshawar in Pakistan, over the Khyber Pass, was stopped by refugees, needing a lift. He gave up his seat, and they proceeded with him and another man, hanging on to the back of the truck….until they hit a land mine, and all the people IN the truck were killed. Only the two on the back of the truck survived.
But it was not Honu’s stories of heroic adventures and escapes that inspired me. It was his humility and honesty, his zen-like acceptance of his destiny and his path. His willingness to adopt traditional magic and learn from medicine men in the heart of the Amazon. After all, he said, western medicine is just “scientific magic”. He admitted that at aged 13, he started learning Japanese (aka Chinese Medicine) from a master in Japan, much of which he has passed on to his own oldest daughter, now aged 10.
At the age of 60, Honu now has one last mission – to Iraq, and then he hopes to return to Australia, with his wife and 4 children, to start a new life in Coffs Harbour. I really hope he achieves his dream, as he deserves it. He is ready to become a “father/ mother” as he put it. He wants to dive and look after the kids, while his wife works in aged care. So it is fitting, that the other meaning of the word “honu” is “one who guards over children”. And rather selfishly, I hope he returns, as I would very much like to talk with him some more.
