John Donnelly – September 2014

John is currently Director Internal Audit at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from The University of Sydney (studies included English Literature, Indonesian and Malaysian studies) and a Masters of Public Administration from The Australian National University (studies included financial management, corruption management, development policy and environmental studies, with a focus on international migration). He speaks Indonesian, Arabic and Vietnamese and between his roles in Canberra, John has worked as Immigration country manager based in Nairobi, Kenya; Amman, Jordan; and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Magic Garage
Pandanus Books, 2002; ISBN 1740760166

Munin, a former political prisoner, runs a “magic” garage in Setiabudi, a central Jakarta community earmarked for redevelopment. As he repairs one of his landlord’s cars, spirit warnings suggest to Munin that something is in the air. Could it be the land clearance or is it something more sinister? But he cannot unravel the mystery alone.

The Tao of Shepherding
Pandanus Books, 2004; ISBN 1740760913

Set in the Riverina in Australia prior to the goldrush years of the 1850s, John Donnelly’s second novel is an intriguing exploration of the experience of two Chinese bonded labourers as they grapple with cultural dislocation in an atmosphere that questions and reinforces the spiritual philosophy of Taoism.