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Tribute to ambassador Richard Woolcott
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Indonesia and Australia puzzles from flags. (Shutterstock/File)
R
ichard “Dick” Woolcott, who turned 90 years of age on June 11, is an Australian friend of over 40 years who contributes to Australia-Indonesia relations to this day.
I first met Woolcott on Oct. 3, 1973, when accompanying the late Gen. Ali Moertopo on his first visit to Australia and the South Pacific. My group landed in Perth in the wee hours and we were welcomed by the news of the outbreak of the Yom Kippur war in the Middle East.
When we arrived at Melbourne Airport in transit to Canberra that evening, the handsome Woolcott, then director general for East Asia in Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs, was there to meet us.
More than that we really appreciated his efforts to assist our group all the way during our first visit to what seemed a European or Western outpost in our region. He was calm, open and friendly to the group and to Pak Ali, and since then he has been a good and trusted friend of Indonesia.
He had many able assistants during his tour as Australian ambassador to Indonesia, such as Malcolm Dan, his deputy, Dennis Richardson his political staffer, as well as the late Jeffrey Forester, who tried very hard to immerse himself in Indonesian culture, particularly in Javanese beliefs and traditions.
Together they ensured as much as possible during our “escapade’’ in East Timor that bilateral relations were correct and friendly, despite differences over the importance of the issue to the region, to Australia as well as to Indonesia.
It was Woolcott who stuck his neck out as ambassador to advise the Australian government to maintain the good working relationship with Indonesia. This was despite differences over the steps taken by Indonesia following the unilateral declaration of independence by Fretilin in November 1975. After the tragedy of the five Australian journalists killed in Balibo, Australia took the correct decision not to downgrade bilateral relations despite the negative Australian public opinion against Indonesia.
