(Excerpt from Jane’s nomination – from Michael Fay, Associate Director of Asean Focus Group). I personally witnessed the wonderful tsunami rescue work that was carried out by Jane Liddon and Rick Cameron during 2005. They exhibited selfless humanitarian vision in their ongoing commitment to the people of Aceh and Sumatra. Without their courageous work many people would have died from starvation and exposure in the period after the tsunami. They were on the frontline of the rescue and worked with Ausaid, the Red Cross, UNESCO and other international organisations to rescue people and provide food, schools and medical assistance.

Jane Liddon has pent many years living in Padang where she first started caring for villagers by setting up the Sumatran Sewing Circle so refugee women from the flood disasters in Nias could earn a living for their families. She also took medicine to some thirty local families to save them from typhoid. Her partner Rick has also shown long term dedication to helping the local people in islands near Padang and also by assisting to set up Surf Aid International to help people on the Mentawi Islands to fight malaria and other diseases.