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No Time For Makeup: The life of a flying doctor and paediatrician
The incredible story of a woman who took the path less travelled to work for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in outback Australia, and what the experience taught her about life, death and human connection.
It was 1988. I had no time for makeup and wore a crushed heart on my sleeve. My life was up in the air. Being a flying doctor grounded me. I went underground to rescue a miner trapped in a rock fall and flew across the outback to treat a critically ill baby. I learned that medicine was not all life and death experiences – it was the quiet moments when you gained a patient’s trust.
It was not Elizabeth Green’s destiny to be a doctor. Raised in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, her mother a teacher and her father a priest, the career options open to her were limited. But against the odds of the time and her upbringing, she was accepted to study medicine. The course was set for a life of extremes, one that would see her return to the remote places that shaped her, and grapple with life and death in the Australian Outback.
No Time for Makeup is a raw, unguarded insight into medical life. It is about the light and the dark sides of providing life-saving care. The complexities of practicing in a time of unprecedented social change. The conflicts of being a working parent. The quiet moments of gaining a patient’s trust, and being inspired to become a better doctor.
It was 1988. I had no time for makeup and wore a crushed heart on my sleeve. My life was up in the air. Being a flying doctor grounded me. I went underground to rescue a miner trapped in a rock fall and flew across the outback to treat a critically ill baby. I learned that medicine was not all life and death experiences – it was the quiet moments when you gained a patient’s trust.
It was not Elizabeth Green’s destiny to be a doctor. Raised in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, her mother a teacher and her father a priest, the career options open to her were limited. But against the odds of the time and her upbringing, she was accepted to study medicine. The course was set for a life of extremes, one that would see her return to the remote places that shaped her, and grapple with life and death in the Australian Outback.
No Time for Makeup is a raw, unguarded insight into medical life. It is about the light and the dark sides of providing life-saving care. The complexities of practicing in a time of unprecedented social change. The conflicts of being a working parent. The quiet moments of gaining a patient’s trust, and being inspired to become a better doctor.
312 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 3, 2026
An interesting read, fascinating to hear the gender challenges Dr Green overcame and the moves she pursued to further her career. Amazing fortitude and sacrifice she made to give to others at sometimes extreme personal cost. There were some great stories shared although I did find some were just taking off and then they would abruptly land and we didn’t necessarily get all the details
September 9, 2026
I don’t feel the title of this book properly reflects the excellent content. The writing is easy reading and encourages you to keep reading. This definitely ‘humanises’ the person on the other side of the ‘doctor’s desk’.
April 27, 2026
An interesting read about the life of a busy mum and doctor. I found the Royal Flying Doctor Service insights and the sections on Indigenous communities engaging.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews