Sensational South West resident Julie Adams OAM welcomed into Women’s Hall of Fame

A stand-out member of the South West community has been recognised at a State level for her contributions to improving health care and standing up against domestic violence.

Myalup’s Julie Adams was welcomed into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame on International Women’s Day, praised for her role in bringing chemotherapy to patients in the home and domestic violence advocacy.

Working as the co-founder and co-director of Chemo@home, Ms Adams has made it possible for thousands of patients across Australia to receive lifesaving treatment from the comfort of their own homes.

Originally starting her career as a cancer services pharmacist, Ms Adams became passionate about home care after the loss of her father in 1994.

Her father had emphysema, and was needing antibiotics intravenously.

“I was just lucky enough to work on a ward where my nurses taught me as a pharmacist to give the antibiotics so my Dad could go home, which was a very unusual situation to be in,” Ms Adams said.

She was able to bring her father home for one final Christmas.

“From that point onwards, I was really interested in how did you get people who would normally be in hospital back into their homes so that they could be with their family?” Ms Adams said.

“I started a small service at Royal Perth (Hospital, and) got some experience in clinically what could be done at home.

We found that people who were treated at home had a lower risk of infection, they did better from a psycho-social point of view, had less nausea and vomiting, slept better in their own beds, were more rested and they recovered better.

“We sort of developed this whole philosophy about the fact that although you could switch from 24-hour care in a hospital to being at home with just a nurse visiting once a day, you could actually have a better outcome from your treatment.”

From this Ms Adams developed the Chemo@home model with business partner Lorna Cook, both re-mortgaging their homes to go all-in on the endeavour.

“It was a huge risk, it had never been done before, and we had to convince doctors that it was safe and that it would be OK for their patients to be treated at home,” she said.

“Honestly, if I knew then what I know now, I probably would say . . . I wouldn’t have done it, because it’s the risk and the amount of obstacles which were insurmountable.

“But I guess what happens is that you just tackle one problem at a time.”

Today Chemo@home has treated more than 20,000 people across Australia, with Ms Adams adamant they were only just getting started.

Keeping herself busy, Ms Adams has also taken to fighting against domestic violence laws after she was horrified to learn an abuser could still stand to inherent from a death with domestic violence circumstances.

Ms Adams worked tirelessly to ensure domestic violence perpetrators would not inherit a victim’s superannuation, eventually getting the attention of the media with her efforts then gaining traction on the Senate floor.

“The Senate did their final report, they came out with the recommendations and recommendation number 10 ... was that they will change the superannuation legislation so that a perpetrator of domestic violence cannot benefit from their victim’s death,” she said.

“That legislation, I’m led to believe, is being drafted now.

Ms Adams said being welcomed into the hall of fame came as a huge shock to her, feeling as though she was too young and had not yet “achieved anything properly”, despite her renown contributions.

“I think of it as something you get when you have finished your career, and you can look back at everything you have done,” she said.

“I feel like I have a lot more to go.”

Ms Adams is not the first in her family to be recognised by the WA Women’s Hall of Fame, with her great grandmother Jane Adams recognised on the Hall of Fame honour roll for her role as a pioneer of the Nungarin area in the Wheatbelt.

“She was this force of nature, entrepreneurial in her own right, resilient beyond all means, made friends with all the local Aboriginal women and together worked for doing sustainable food production for their families,” Ms Adams said.

“To me, she is a remarkable woman, and to know that she’s on the roll of honour, and that I get to be in the Hall of Fame next to her, is pretty awesome.”

Ms Adams’ story can be seen alongside the other 2025 hall of fame inductees in a photographic exhibition at One The Esplanade from March 7 to March 21.

The photos have primarily been shot by photographer Karen Wheatland, with one by Vero Photography and another by Goolarri Media.

A retrospective exhibition on the 15th anniversary of the honour roll is at the State Library until July 6.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.

Lifeline: 13 11 14