Articles

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Law Society of NSW Journal

War and Peace, June 2014
“For the first time in its 150-year history, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has appointed a woman, Dr Helen Durham, as the Director for International Law and Policy to its headquarters in Geneva. She speaks to Julie McCrossin.” read more

drinktank

Abstinence AOK, August 2012
“Thirty-three years ago I woke up and felt an overwhelming urge to give up the grog. And I did. It was the day before Mother’s Day in 1979 and I haven’t had a drink of alcohol since. At the same time I gave up drugs as well. Completely.” read more

Selector Life Food Wine

Rare Inisght, Spring 07
“A nine-day adventure holiday to the Northern Territory with a mob of people from the Fred Hollows Foundation and World Expeditions gave me so many life-changing experiences it is hard to know where to begin.” read more

Sydney Morning Herald

Secular saints inspire the spirit, 26 January 2007
“It was an iconic image. The happy face of the recently appointed first female beefeater in the 522-year history of their service at the Tower of London. Moira Cameron, 42, stood bursting with pride between the men in scarlet tunics, who looked just like the ones on the gin bottles. She was an inspiring role model.” read more

Have wheels, will travel. It’s a joke, 13 January 2007
“You see a lot more people on the streets in wheelchairs when you visit cities such as London, Manchester, San Francisco, New York or Vancouver than you do in Sydney. You even see more in Melbourne.” read more

Life etc
Julie is a regular contributor to the ABC magazine Life etc, conducting interviews with people of interest to the general Australian reading public.

Mountain High – Diane Westaway
“In June, Diane Westaway, 48, the founder of the women-only adventure fitness group Wild Women on Top, plans to set out with a group of four to climb the highest mountain in North America, Mt McKinley, also known as Denali. This 6194m peak is in the Denali National Park in Alaska. It is known for its extreme cold and is often said to be tougher than Mt Everest because of the physical work involved. There are no Sherpas or pack animals to carry your gear in Alaska.” read more

The Virus of the Future – Dr Julie Hall
“In March 2003 Dr Julie Hall was sitting with the leadership group at the operations centre of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva when the historic decision was made to issue the organisation’s first global alert for a frightening new disease.” read more

The Nation’s Confessor – Andrew Denton
“The creative source of all the best elements of Andrew Denton’s brilliant career in radio, television and film is the playful and happy family life he enjoyed growing up in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and the abiding influence of his mother, Le and his father, Kit.” read more

A Woman of Substance – Margaret Whitlam
“Just before Christmas last year, I ran into Margaret Whitlam at two events: a women’s lunch for the Bell Shakespeare Company and a party for SCEGGS Darlinghurst, the Anglican girls’ school we both attended 30 years apart. On each occasion, I was struck by the 88-year-old’s palpable verve, vitality and enthusiasm for life.” read more

The Drive to Win – Karrie Webb
“There’s a fine line in sport between being excellent and being a true champion. It’s a line that is primarily psychological, especially in a solo sport like golf. The Australian golfer who has crossed the champion’s line most consistently is a 32-year-old from the small town of Ayr in the sugar-cane country of far north Queensland. Her name is Karrie Webb.” read more

Man on a Mission – Chris Sarra
“Dr Chris Sarra, Director of the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute in the Queensland Aboriginal community of Cherbourg and former award-winning principal of Cherbourg State School, is a man on a mission. He calls it a ‘crusade’ that he is ‘deadly serious about'” read more

From Hostel to History – Julia Gillard
“If you want to get to know Julia Gillard and understand what drives her political passions, you have to know the story of her Welsh immigrant family, especially that of her father, John.” read more

The Unquiet Australian – Phil Noyce
“‘My dad’s sister, Kath, was one of the 21 nurses who were captured and killed during the Second World War in Borneo with Sister Bullwinkle, who was the
only one to escape,’ Phillip Noyce says plainly.” read more

Back to Basics – Kerry Armstrong
“Meeting actress Kerry Armstrong face-to-face is a compelling experience. Not only is she attractive and affectionate, but her intelligence and intensity demand your attention. To me, she is like a champion racehorse in the marshalling yards before a race, emotion flickering across the surface of the skin.” read more

A Unique Intellect – Richard Cotton
“Researcher and inventor Professor Richard Cotton, 65, director of the Genomics Disorders Research Centre at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, is a man on a global crusade. If he’s successful, he could improve the lives of millions of people all over the world by helping doctors to treat or prevent diseases with a genetic component.” read more

Australian Financial Review
From 1999-2000, Julie wrote a fortnightly column exploring issues and topics in Australian society, drawing on her own experiences and the news of the day.

Sex On The Fatal Shore Is No Laughing Matter, 3 Dec 1999
“We often learn more about the present than the past when people write about historical events. The Birth Of Sydney (Text Publishing) by bestselling author Tim Flannery is a classic example. This selection of eyewitness accounts of the early history of white settlement, edited and introduced by Flannery, will seduce the most reluctant reader into a passion for Australian history. Flannery’s reputation for writing and speaking with passion and authority about conservation, mammals and natural history will ensure a receptive audience for this engaging work.” read more

Dear Lord, Must I Smite The Neighbours?, 28 Jul 2000

“The Bible and homosexuality have been in the news again this month. The Uniting Church has decided at its latest national assembly in Adelaide to continue accepting “diversity”. There will be no witch-hunts to weed out gay and lesbian parishioners or clergy. Nor will there be open acceptance. Each parish will be left to sort out its own approach. Some Churches will be known as “gay-friendly”, and some will make it very clear indeed that such “diversity” is not welcome.” read more

Making Sure Kids Don’t Forget Themselves, 1 Dec 2000
“When times are tough and the pressure I draw on what I know of my family history. Looking back from the serene vantage point of middle age, the family stories about Dad’s job as a Pathfinder pilot during the war help me feel that I can handle the relatively trivial pressures of a professional life in the media. Dad had to fly out ahead of the pack in Bomber Command and drop flares above German targets so that the Lancaster bombers coming behind could try to unload their deadly cargo with accuracy. With blood like that in my veins, I should be able to handle almost anything.” read more

Australian Left Review
Julie wrote a satirical advice column “Dear Dr Hartman” from 1990-1991, based on her standup comedy psycho-therapist character Dr Mary Hartman.

Pooey Nappies, Jun 1990
“I had a childcare activist come into my clinic this week in a shocking state. She had this extraordinary idea that all Australian children have the right to good quality child care regardless of their parents’ ability to pay. What a load of nonsense! I mean, we don’t all drive BMWs, we don’t all eat at Berowra Waters Inn and we don’t all go to Scots and Grammar, or Geelong Grammar and Scotch College – so why on earth should we all expect to have a nanny as good as mine!” read more

Toddler Torture, Dec 1990
“Hello patients. This is a difficult time of the year for those of you who have been silly enough to obey your biological clock and produce offspring. The Christmas holidays are approaching and soon you’ll have to spend prolonged periods of unbroken time in close company with the bearers of your genetic material.” read more

Professional Upstarts, Feb 1991
“Hello patients. I’ve been having problems with the nursing lassies lately. Actually the little bitches have been showing signs of restlessness for quite some time. Last week I saw a sticker on a car in the staff section of one of my clinics. It said, “Nurses care – about wages”. I sacked the girl on the spot. A few days later, at a major public hospital, I saw a notice for a staff meeting on the Casualty noticeboard. It was addressed to the “rank and file nurses”. What next? Matron Norm Gallagher?!” read more

Australian Society

Sydney Star Observer

Australian Vogue