This story that shows the Aboriginal people of the Katherine West Region knew their own health needs best, and had the ability to make the best decisions about these needs. This story tells of the courage of the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments in committing substantial sums of money, normally provided through their own bureaucracies, to an experimental model of health servicing. t tells of the absolute commitment of the Katherine West Health Board and its staff to finding the best possible mix of services for the communities they served -- integrating their responses to immediate and practical concerns with equal regard to the legacies of a complex history. This is a story of success achieved through innovation and cooperation, and above all a story of something very special.