Wiluna: 'Selfless' teacher tragically killed in a car crash after driving for 10 hours to help her colleague

By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 02:36, 28 April 2026 | Updated: 02:36, 28 April 2026 A 'selfless' teacher killed in a horror car crash is being remembered for her devotion to her community following her sudden death.  Julie, who worked at the Wiluna Remote Community School, about 950km north-east of Perth, sadly died in a car crash last week.  She travelled to Wiluna with her husband Chris to teach children in the Martu Aboriginal Community, which has a population of less than 1,000 people.  Emily Vandenberg, the principal at the school, said Julie was killed after she had driven 10 hours to 'ensure the safety' of a family pet owned by one of her colleagues.  'This was Julie: always putting others first, no matter the distance or the effort,' Ms Vandenberg wrote on a GoFundMe campaign for Julie's family.  'Her passing has left our entire school community in shock and heartbreak. Julie was more than a teacher - she was a friend, a mentor, and a bright light in our community.  'Her warmth, generosity, and unwavering care for others will never be forgotten.' Julie was described as kind, selfless, and deeply committed to supporting others.  Julie, who worked at the Wiluna Remote Community School, located about 950km north-east of Perth, sadly died in a car crash last week She travelled to Wiluna with her husband Chris to teach children in the Martu Aboriginal Community, which has a population of less than 1,000 people (pictured) Ms Vandenberg said the money raised by the GoFundMe would go towards flying Julie's children from Victoria to Perth, which is expected to cost over $10,000.  The campaign has raised over $30,000 of the $35,000 target at the time of writing.  Ms Vandenberg wrote that she had only connected with Julie one day before the fatal crash, which has rocked their small community.  'Our community is devastated, but more than anything we just want to wrap our arms around this beautiful family and do whatever we can,' she said.  The Daily Mail has contacted Ms Vandenberg for further comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.