But rather than skydiving, bungee jumping or even swimming with sharks, Ms Chilcott finds her heart beating the fastest in some of the world’s most far-flung locations, responding to events that most people could not comprehend.

The Poatina grandmother is on a retainer for the United Kingdom government’s Conflict Humanitarian and Security Department.

It means that, at any moment, she can get a phone call that will drag her away from home for what could be months at a time.

In her position as a humanitarian advisor, her role is co-ordinating various parties to adequately respond to crises around the globe.

It is a job that has taken her to pockets of the world that are virtually unknown to the general public, and inside events that are their own breed of reality.

Her most recent posting was to West Africa, for the 2015 Ebola outbreak.

She got a call one day in January, 2015, and was shipped out to the Bo region in Sierra Leone, where she stayed for two months.

By this stage in the epidemic, almost 3000 people had died from the disease.

After returning home for some months, she was sent back to Africa, this time to the Kanbia district, where she stayed for five and a half months.

At the end of 2016, she received a medal from the Queen in recognition of her service to the crisis.

“Being out for seven months in 2015, I felt like I lost that year,” Ms Chilcott said, without regret but with contemplation.

It is a job that is not for the faint of heart, or those with shaky nerves.

Ms Chilcott has had more than 15 years to harden both.

She has been posted to most of the major humanitarian crises in recent history: the Mozambique floods in 2000, Iraq several times, Afghanistan, Gaza, post-genocidal Rwanda, and more, through emergency responder roles with various organisations.

Most people, upon hearing of such experiences, would conjure up images of death, devastation, and heartbreak.

But Ms Chilcott shared stories only of resilience, understanding, and the sharing of life knowledge.

“I loved my time in the Middle East, and the generosity of people. I’d probably go back at the drop of a hat, there’s just something about it,” she said.

“But sometimes, yes, you do wonder what will happen.”

She said sometimes the responders, like herself, were teaching the people they were helping. And sometimes, those people were teaching her.

“(In Africa) we went to a community, and you could see the needs … latrines, infrastructure, everything … When the elders were asked what they wanted for the community, they said ‘a football pitch’,” Ms Chilcott said.

“To us Westerners, it made no sense, when there was so much else that needed to be done. But they said, ‘if we have a football pitch, the whole village will come to a game’ – and it’s true, people would come from everywhere – ‘and if you can get them all together, you can then talk about what needs to be done’.

“It makes you realise where Australia fits, in terms of the world view. We’re respected as people, because we have that ‘fair go’ attitude. And we’re willing to roll up our sleeves and get involved.”

When Ms Chilcott is not fulfilling her role as a humanitarian advisor, she runs the Tiers Tea Lounge at Poatina with her husband John West, who has also had a career that has taken him all over the world.

Sometimes, Ms Chilcott said, Mr West would be working out of Kenya, and she would be posted to the Middle East, and they would meet halfway for holidays.

They opened the business about three and a half years ago, and settled in the Highlands township after living all over Australia, and in the United Kingdom.

She’s also a volunteer ambulance officer.

“The good thing (about going away) is coming back to Tasmania. This is a very healing, calming place,” Ms Chilcott said.

“I’m not sure what part is surreal: coming back here, or when you’re in the midst of everything over there.”

While Ms Chilcott said she had no immediate desire to retire from her position, she said she was aware of age.

“I’ll be 70 this year,” she said.

“There may be a time when I’m ready.

“I sit here, and think, ‘oh, I did what I did’.

“But then I also think back, and I think I have been very fortunate.”