Bringing Hope In A Crisis

Red Cross humanitarian aidworker Julia Brothwells bag ispermanently packed, ready to flyoff to any disaster in the world

- Carole Richardson

There are two subjects that Julia Brothwell’s new neighbours in Morecambe might be wise not to complain to her about – the weather is one and potholes is the other.

“My tolerance for such conversations is almost non-existent!” she laughingly admits.

After 30 years as a humanitarian aid worker in far-flung countries hit by wars, famines, floods and earthquakes, it is understandable.

“Sometimes when I hear people complain about small things I just want to say, ’You don’t know how lucky you are!’” she adds.

Far too polite to actually do so, Julia accepts instead that her own incredible experiences have given her a very different perspective on the world to most – and made her count her blessings.

When you’ve had to evacuate a team from an earthquake hit building in Nepal or seen so many people, young and old, forced to flee their homes and country, it’s bound to affect you. Yet Julia’s career began almost by accident. After leaving school at 18, she had “no real idea” what she wanted to do and found herself working in an office.

A trip to Australia in her early 20s showed her there was another world out there that was, “perhaps a bit more interesting than the world I was living and working in.”