Although wishing to protect his identity because she fears the oppressive military government, she spoke to The Bucks Herald to plea for donations to help the Burmese people.

Julie, who lives in Elmhurst, said her 30-year-old brother has taught at an international school in the capital Yangon for the past ten years, having first visited the country as a teenager on his gap year.

"He loves the people and it is such a beautiful place," she said. "He's always adventuring, going into the jungles and crawling under buried temples. My sons think he's Indiana Jones."

She said her family frantically tried to contact him after Cyclone Nargis struck on May 3.

"We were pretty much glued to the internet and the news. My mum was just ringing different contact numbers over and over again," she said.
It was not until six days later that they finally learnt the former Aylesbury Grammar School pupil was safe. It transpired that he had been in the less affected north of the country when the cyclone struck.

In an e-mail he managed to send to his family he wrote: "It was shocking driving back to our apartment as all the trees and power pylons lining the road had been ripped out of the ground. Our roof had a section ripped off and so as you can imagine, waterfalls of water got into the apartment. By the time we got back, the others had cleared it up, just leaving traces of streams of rain that had come down the walls."

He continued: "We have no electricity or water but are bringing water in relays of buckets from a well in the street. Many shops and businesses are closed and prices have rocketed. The homeless in Yangon are sleeping in any building they can."

Julie, 39, who grew up with her brother in Stone, said he had no thoughts of returning to England. "He plans to continue with his job teaching but like many other civilians and monks in Burma will do everything he can to assist those hit the worst."

The secretive military government has been heavily criticised for not allowing aid workers into the country, but Julie said she did not know what her brother's opinion of the authorities was. "He never really talks politics or mentions the government," she said. "One of the reasons he is allowed to stay there is because he does not criticise."

To make donations contact 07745993205.

Have you been affected by the natural disaster in Burma?

To comment on this or any other Bucks Herald story, click here

To post comments directly on this website, click on the Comment on this Story link below