Anthony Sheldon

Anthony Sheldon

As an Asian and International Studies student at Griffith University, Tony Sheldon never imagined his language skills would one day become so critical, in his humanitarian role in tsunami-struck Aceh.

Tony was one of a number of Australian volunteers who sprang to Aceh's aid in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tragedy that claimed the lives and homes of over 200,000 Acehnese.

Just two weeks after the disaster, he led an emergency medical response team into Aceh to co-ordinate relief assistance and security for Peace Brigades International, the non-profit organisation he has worked for since graduation.

Tony's contribution to Aceh's reconstruction still consumes him some 12 months on.He recently founded "World Assist", an international charity working in issues of human security.He is managing a program to strengthen Aceh's judicial sector to assist its transformation into a viable state following the end of the conflict with Indonesia.

Recalling the ravaged Acehnese landscape in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, Tony said, "The scene was difficult to describe.No photos can create the feeling.Everything was completely flat - where the city had once stood, with houses and a market and huge buildings, everything was now no higher than your shins.

"The scene for 10 kilometres was one of complete devastation, with a sea of sticks with flags marking the location of bodies."

Fluent in Indonesian and Acehnese, Tony spent close to two months helping the refugees rebuild their lives.Many were people he knew personally from his five years doing security assessment in Aceh.

"My familiarity with the language, dialects, customs and geography of the area really helped, having majored in Indonesian language for three years at university and supplemented this by studying conversational Acehnese," Tony said.

"I also benefited from the networks I had built over the years with military and rebel forces in Aceh.This eased my negotiations with the various stakeholders to get aid to the affected areas as quickly as possible."

In between juggling his responsibilities at World Assist and Peace Brigades International, Tony still finds time to pursue a second degree.He is currently in the final year of his Bachelor of Law degree at Griffith.