Surviving White Island and what happened next — Stephanie Browitt's story

About this episode

Stephanie Browitt shares her harrowing experience of surviving a volcanic eruption and the journey of recovery and resilience that followed.

At 23 years old, Stephanie Browitt willed herself to stay awake long enough to survive a volcano eruption on New Zealand's Whakaari / White Island. More than six years later, her resilience and sanity remains as strong as ever. The rescue mission to White Island in November 2019 was led by three civilians, who immediately flew from the mainland, as the emergency services deemed the island too dangerous for their trained paramedics to get there. Stephanie clung on to consciousness, despite severe burns to 70 per cent of her body, because she knew she had to get back to her beloved mum, Marie. The blast killed 22 people, including Stephanie's little sister Krystal. Eventually their father Paul also succumbed to his injuries in hospital. During the early stages of Stephanie's fight to recover, her sister's fate was kept a secret to give her something to fight for. After dozens of operations, years of physical therapy, grieving the sudden loss of half of their family, and growing even closer to her mum, Stephanie decided together wither her mum, Marie, to take on the cruise company that allowed them to go to this island despite knowing there was a warning in place. This episode of…

People in this episode

Host: ABC Australia

Guest: Stephanie Browitt

Topics covered

• natural disasters
• survival
• grief
• burns recovery
• mother daughter relationships
• resilience
• family bond

Keywords

• volcano eruption
• survival story
• burn recovery
• family tragedy
• resilience
• grief
• mother daughter bond
• lawsuit
• natural disaster

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Meggie Morris, Eliza Kirsch

Places: New Zealand, Whakaari / White Island

More episodes of Conversations

• From party trick to pop star — meet Molly Lewis, professional whistler · June 12, 2026 · 51 min
• Encore: My adventures on the high seas with a fugitive on the run · June 11, 2026 · 50 min
• Algorithms, accountability and the 'manosphere'—empowering men to be the solution · June 10, 2026 · 53 min
• Encore: The remarkable life of Professor Richard Scolyer · June 9, 2026 · 52 min
• How Japanese spirituality can help make everyday life more beautiful · June 8, 2026 · 51 min
• Hip Hop, home, and humanity—'trials' on reckoning with his origin story · June 5, 2026 · 52 min