Book Launch | Bomb Season in Jakarta with Grant Dooley

In a few short years in the mid-2000s, Australia’s relationship with its nearest neighbour was rocked by an extraordinary series of events. As a diplomat posted to Jakarta, Grant Dooley was there for it all: a terrorist bomb attack on the Australian Embassy compound, killing eleven; the Boxing Day tsunami’s almost incomprehensible devastation; the 2005 Bali bombing that killed twenty; Schapelle Corby’s arrest; members of the Bali Nine were arrested and convicted; and the crash of a Garuda flight that killed twenty, including five Australians. 

Not only did Grant Dooley bear witness to these events, but he was also a first responder to the Embassy bombing and the Garuda plane crash. And when he wasn’t dealing with emergencies and constant terror threats, he had to delicately manage the nation’s political leaders, from Alexander Downer to John Howard to Bronwyn Bishop. Somehow, Grant and his wife, Kristan, who worked on the consular staff, kept it all together for themselves and their young family. Or did they? 

In conversation with Anthony Bubalo, CEO of Asia Society Australia, Grant Dooley will lift the lid on an unparalleled period in Australian diplomacy, revealing the unspoken emotional and psychological costs of life on the diplomatic frontline. The book will be launched by Tim Palmer, ABC journalist, former foreign correspondent and 2005 Gold Walkley award recipient.

Note: Attending this event means that you agree to be photographed by Asia Society Australia and its agents.