JULIE HAMILTON (née Christie) - Graduate New Zealand School of Physiotherapy - class of 1961

2013

Courtesy of Julie Hamilton

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Much of Julie Hamilton’s physiotherapy career has involved rehabilitation in the global health community. As a consequence of her long standing interest in leprosy, she has worked in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for 20 years, during the 1960s to 1980s. Her first appointment in PNG was at Modilon Hospital, Madang. She then spent a further 14 years in Rabaul, East New Britain. Throughout her time in PNG she became increasingly aware of the important role that families and communities play in physical rehabilitation, and the possibility of using the written word with illustrations to communicate health messages. This communication was especially challenging because of the cultural diversity of PNG and the many different languages and dialects spoken there.
Following further postgraduate education Julie wrote a series of books which were designed to develop awareness of disability. The people she worked with in PNG and those she came to know inspired the creation of these works.
In more recent times, together with her surgeon husband, Julie has participated in short-term work in Timor Leste and in PNG, where former colleagues continue to contribute to her story writing.