This is a fascinating conversation with a bloke who has experienced some of the 'hardest' days at the office, conceivable. Grant Dooley was posted to Jakarta during the mid-2000s, one of Indonesia's most turbulent periods, where he survived the terrorist bombing of the Australian Embassy, was a first responder to the Garuda plane crash, and worked through the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami - along with major diplomatic incidents like the Bali bombings, the Schapelle Corby case and the arrests of the Bali Nine. Throughout it all, Grant and his wife Kristan (also a DFAT consular officer) had to keep it together - not only for themselves and their jobs, but for their young family. But the years in Jakarta took their toll on Grant and, diagnosed with PTSD after his service in Indonesia, he began to write journal entries, in an attempt to process his trauma. Those initial writings have now been turned into a book; Bomb Season in Jakarta. It’s Grant's up-close-and-personal account of his Indonesian posting, raising the lid on the personal side of diplomatic service. I think you'll enjoy this.

Book: Bomb Season in Jakarta

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