Finding Soul in New Zealand: An Interview with Julie Bartlett

 

 

Six months ago my family and I embarked on an amazing 92-day journey to the beautiful country of New Zealand. I was personally ecstatic because this was my chance to be able to decompress and actually breathe, to take a break from the craziness that is involved with raising a family in a race to nowhere. Between volunteering at our children’s school, being a Girl Scout troop leader, and running a household of two girls, a busy father, and an aging dog amongst other things, I was ready to figure out how to unwind and really find the true purpose of life. And wow, did I find it while being in New Zealand.

 

My husband took a sabbatical from work and we based ourselves in the harbor village of Devonport, in the northern part of Auckland. It was the perfect central location, as we had no vehicle but were able to take ferryboats throughout the surrounding areas. A nation of rolling green hills, majestic volcanoes, sprinkled with sheep and sailboats on the coast, consisting of the two main islands: North and South Island, with little islands scattered about.

 

One small island we visited was Tiritiri Matangi, not even two miles wide, once just a big, grassy place that was transformed into a scientific observation and bird sanctuary thanks to thousands of dedicated volunteers who planted trees and helped form a beautiful, peaceful environment where both endangered and common birds, such as the nocturnal Kiwi, can be observed by the public.

 

We decided to go to Tiritiri Matangi on the last Sunday before returning home. The end of March was pretty much the tail end of the New Zealand summer, so we were able to go on a lovely warm day. Before heading over, I decided to pay a small fee to receive an hour’s worth of guiding the island by a volunteer. Upon arrival, my family of four and a couple with their young son were assigned to a very nice tour guide by the name of Julie Bartlett.

 

Julie was a wonderful guide! Soft spoken, with a kind demeanor and knowledge of the island that was absolutely astonishing, she made the tour so much fun for all of us. She lead us on a trail of lush trees and plants, encouraging us to close our eyes and listen for the song of the birds. The children were engaged and we loved trying to spot every bird listed on the list. I couldn’t believe that such a beautiful place that had such an important mission was created simply because somebody cared enough to do it.

 

Julie ended our tour at an historic lighthouse where we were able to stop and have our packed lunches. Before doing so, I asked if we were able take a picture of her with the children. I didn’t want them to forget the kind volunteer tour guide who came often to help out. She obliged and then we said our goodbyes.

 

Sitting down, preparing to lunch, my family decided to explore the lighthouse. I was famished, so I stayed behind. Across the way was Julie, eating her lunch, so I asked her to join me. And, like many people who rarely know each other, we started to talk about our lives: where we are from, what we do, and the importance of it all.

 

I learned that Julie had been volunteering for many years and had recently retired from a very busy job to focus on her own family but also a new project that she was interested in. She mentioned she had founded an organization called StarJam, inspired by her brother Ross, who had Down Syndrome, and the tear-jerking, heartwarming story behind it. We talked of motherhood, of being a female in this topsy-turvy world, and volunteerism. She also mentioned her new project: SOUL, which was right up my alley because her reasons for starting it were the very reasons I decided to become a Girl Scout troop leader. Soon it was time to get back onto the ferryboat. Julie sat with us and before saying our goodbyes, I asked for her email in order to share the picture of her with the kids.

 

Later that night, still reeling with inspiration from the island and from meeting Julie, I decided to google the organization she founded, Starjam and her new project: SOUL. Boy, was I humbled! This is what I found: https://givealittle.co.nz/org/soul

 

Apparently, Julie has worked for a variety of charities including Save the Children, Autism NZ and Alzheimers Foundation over the past 25 years. Not only is she a mover and a shaker, but she was also honored as a Member of the NZ Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours!

 

Was this the same Julie at Tiritiri? I was amazed and even more inspired. This woman, who has done so much for others, was still willing to give her time to help out the volunteers of the bird sanctuary. Then it occurred to me. Julie is just like the island in so many ways. She is a source of community, of creating awareness, and of giving hope to those who may feel like their lives are over, just like the island is a place created because somebody cared enough to do something about it, and because they did, there are endangered birds that are able to continue on with their lives.

 

This is exactly the clarity I needed when came to New Zealand. My goal is to make sure that my girls and all the women on this planet know how important it is to be part of a community and to help each other out. Julie has done her part, and I will do all I can to do mine.

 

 

She has founded a new organization: SOUL: Sources of Unconditional Love. So many parts of our world, whether it’s in New Zealand, India, or even here, in the U.S., there are girls who feel they have no opportunities. This is a way we can help create awareness. https://www.soul.kiwi/

 

Dandelion Moms is a similar place for me. It is community of women who inspire and are being inspired to be the best we can be. Julie has kindly agreed to an interview on our very own Dandelionmoms.com!

 

 

Lilli: Would you mind sharing with our Dandelion moms, what event or events changed the direction of your life?

 

Julie: The person who made the biggest impact on my life was my brother, Ross, who was born with Down Syndrome.   I didn’t actually know he existed until I met him in my late teens. I don’t know what caused my parents to break ‘the secret’ that Ross was born and, because he was ‘a bad baby’, had been sent away at birth. It was not uncommon at that time and I don’t bear any grudge towards my parents as I’m sure they had little choice.  I guess after meeting Ross, I looked at the world in a different way; trying to imagine what it was like for him and what caused people to treat him like a half-human, a Martian or worse at times. It would break my heart.

 

When my husband and I married, I asked Ross to give me away at our wedding. It seemed like a very natural thing to do, as our father had died, and Ross and I spent more time together than I did with my other brother. Ross and I had become very close.

 

At our wedding Ross got up and gave a spontaneous speech. His words were very hard to understand unless you knew him very well and so the wedding guests could not easily understand what he was saying.  However it was easy to feel his love and hear that he was talking about his love for me and how honored he felt to be giving me away on my wedding day.   Our wedding guests were in tears and deeply moved by Ross’s speech. Afterwards people started treating him differently; like in the snap of a finger, he had instantaneously become a real person.   That moment both shocked and delighted me and I couldn’t forget it.   From that moment forward I wanted to do whatever I could in my life, to make it so that people who were commonly the object of prejudice and discrimination, would be accepted for who they were and would be treated with the utmost respect.

 

Lilli: How did you get involved with activism and philanthropy?

 

Julie: I just fell into feeling like I had to do something to change the lives of people like my brother who suffered so many indignities on a daily basis; not just people with Down Syndrome but anyone who for no real reason gets treated badly, or very very badly.

 

Lilli: What type of reward do you get from helping others?

 

Julie: I never thought about getting any reward from helping others. I believe we are all put on this planet with the exact same job – to help each other.   Of course there is great joy in seeing people’s lives get better and seeing their big smiles.   It’s usually the small things that give the greatest reward.   I had one of those moments the day I met Lilli and her family on Tiritiri Matangi Island where I am a volunteer guide.   I was given two families to guide around the island. In the other family was a young boy who I think had autism. He was making a lot of noise and scaring the birds we were trying to watch.   After some time he became calm. At one point along the trail we came across an owl who was perched in a tree right above us and very close.    Lilli’s girls put their arms around the boy and pointing up, said to him in such a tender way ‘can you see the owl”.   I was fighting back the tears. There’s nothing like experiencing true caring and compassion between people, young and old.

 

Lilli: What inspires you and what helps you keep balance in your life?

 

Julie: Whether it’s true or not, I am always inspired by stories of people who have done remarkable, selfless things and suffered as a consequence.   Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandala and Mahatma Gandhi are well-known such people. One of my biggest heroes is William Wilberforce who had a major influence in abolishing the slave trade in the early 1800s.

 

Sometimes I’m not very good at keeping balance because there’s so much work to do but I find time to meditate each day and walk along one of the many beautiful nearby beaches.

 

Lilli: What is SOUL and why?

 

SOUL’s goal is to see a discrimination-free world.     Despite legislation and countless people and organizations working to stamp out prejudice and discrimination it still looms large in our own small communities and the global community.   We at SOUL believe:

• All girls and women experience discrimination; sometimes very obviously, sometimes quite subtlety
• That prejudice and discrimination are at the core of our biggest challenges, from unemployment and poverty, to crime and violence
• That an upbeat, light-hearted and humorous approach is the best way to make the change

SOUL’s approach is two pronged.   We are starting by inviting girls into the SOUL Circles programs which grow the expectations of what girls can do, achieve and be, and invite them to be SOUL’s thought leaders.   Then by telling upbeat, positive, fun stories in videos and on social media, we will make people laugh, even at their own biases.  

 

LillI: As a community of women: mothers, aunts, sisters, what can we do to help SOUL out?

 

Julie: We would love you to consider donating on our crowdfunding page to help us reach our ‘start up’ goal.

or

Sign up to our mailing list so we can contact you once our pilot programmes are established to tell you about what opportunities are available.

 

To all of our readers out there, we have a unique opportunity to help Julie and her team with SOUL. Check it out now at: https://www.soul.kiwi/

 

 

 

 

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