If only in Afghanistan

Hamilton doctor Marc Shaw is the first civilian doctor to be deployed with the New Zealand Defence Force in Afghanistan, recently donning a red suit to play Father Christmas at the Banyan camp he has been stationed at for the past three months. Shaw assists New Zealand troops with their medical needs, but also helps with medical initiatives for the Afghan people of the province. He’s no stranger to working overseas, having joined work expeditions to Mongolia, South Africa and the Amazon, but said Afghanistan had really struck a chord with him. “Afghanistan has some of the oldest cultures in the world and to be here is to experience history,” Shaw said. He said the mere mention of Christmas gave the troops a chance to reflect on why they were in Afghanistan in the first place. “How grand it would be if we could get the conflict over by Christmas and then spend our time here in celebrating a lasting peace.”

Image credit: NZ Doctor