Vincent Croswell & Maureen Thomas served in Papua New Guinea 1979-1981 Podcast # 119

Cuso International

Jul 21 2010

I met returned volunteers Vincent Croswell and Maureen Thomas at a Tim Horton's in Kamloops, BC, just as they were returning from a trip.

They served as CUSO volunteers in Papua New Guinea from 1979-1981, where Maureen was posted at Kundiyawa Hospital as the chief obstetrician and surgeon for six months, in addition to her general medical duties. Vincent first worked for the provincial government developing plantations, and then was hired by the federal Department of Health in the medical facility maintenance and upgrade department. He then returned to BC and attained his accounting degree.

During our conversation about their time in PNG, Vincent and Maureen talked about how the experience had shaped their outlook on life- while in PNG, they realized that "it wasn't about your skill sets, but about your flexibility and attitude". They said their volunteer positions forced them to learn about themselves and how they interacted with others, and how their values changed as a result.

Vincent and Maureen, thank you both for taking the time to share your experiences with me, and thank you for your service with CUSO.

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