Richard Mathews was Australia’s first Consul-General in Makassar, eastern Indonesia from 2016 – 2020. He retired from DFAT in 2021 after a 30-year career which included postings to Brunei, Greece, Taiwan and Indonesia. Since retirement he has published articles in the Canberra Times and Lowy Interpreter on climate change and is currently writing a crime-thriller set in eastern Indonesia, and short-stories about travel.