Brisbane grandmother Gwen Wetzig is an angel in a dark and dangerous world

GWEN Wetzig could put her feet up and enjoy being a grandmother, but this remarkable woman is better suited to a bulletproof vest than an apron.

SOME may think that at 60 Gwen Wetzig would be happy to slide into retirement. She could put her feet up in the comfort of her Brisbane home and simply enjoy being a grandmother.

But this modest and remarkable woman is better suited to a bulletproof vest than an apron. Every year Gwen heads to one of the most dangerous places on earth – a place she now calls her second-home.

Gwen is an angel to the forgot victims of the horrific conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bullets, shelling and extreme sexual violence is the norm in the city of Goma. She has no medical background but her passion is to support her surgeon husband’s bid to improve medical services at the local hospital. They have self-funded each mercy mission. Australia has one general surgeon for every 10,000 people – DR Congo has one general surgeon for every 1,000,000 people.

“I have no medical background but my heart brings me back to Goma every year. I am in too deep now. I love the people and they depend on our help,” said Gwen, who has accompanied husband Neil on his trips since 2006.

“I organise the medical teams, help the doctors at the hospital with their English and try to be as hands-on as possible,” she said.

Millions of people have died in the conflict in the central African danger zone. Rebel fighting and surprise attacks make work at the hospital even more difficult for medics.

Neil Wetzig, a prominent Brisbane surgeon has, with some colleagues, established AusHEAL, a non-profit charity to support the hospital in Goma and Gwen is a key cog in the wheels of the organisation.

It is Gwen’s warm heart and compassion that makes her a welcome favourite among the poverty-stricken locals. Donations to AusHEAL’s medical work in DR Congo are tax-deductible if directed through the Global Development Group.

“Last year when we visited, there were hundreds of thousands of people housed in Internally Displaced People (refugee) camps because of the M23 rebels destroying their villages,” said Gwen.

The families from the camp are always entranced by her white skin and motherly demeanour.

While Gwen has bonded with many of the Congolese locals she has a special place in her heart for Mila, a young girl so traumatised she had swallowed battery acid in a bid to kill herself. She was unable to eat.

Neil was able to perform a very inventive operation on Mila with minimal resources. He put a piece of her large intestine up through her chest allowing her to eat again.

Mila now considers the Brisbane couple her Australian parents and they are paying for her to complete accountancy training. She now works at the Goma hospital.

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