Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club

JFCC launches Morgan Mellish Fund

The JFCC is proud to announce the launching of the Morgan Mellish Fund to train Indonesian journalists in business and economics. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd inaugurated the memorial fund on Friday June 13th.

Morgan Mellish* was the correspondent for the Australian Economic Review who died at age 36 on March 7, 2007 in the Garuda airline crash in Yogyakarta. He was among 21 people to loose their lives that day.

Morgan was awarded Australia''''s most prestigious journalism award, the Walkley, in 2006 for outstanding reporting. His story "The Robert Gerard Tax Scandal" was honored with the best Business Journalism award.

The Morgan Mellish Memorial Fund seeks to enhance Indonesian journalism in ways and encourage the spirit of bold inquisitiveness that made Morgan stand out.

The fund aims to put 20 students a year through courses that will enhance their reporting skills and bolster free and fair media It will be overseen by the JFCC''''s elected committee of eight journalists.

The JFCC has two other scholarships, the Sander Thoenes and Harry Burton funds, also in remembrance of former members who died during the course of their work.

Our work can only happen with the help of donations, so please be generous!

Transfer a donation to the JFCC in the name of the Morgan Mellish Fund

ANZ Panin Bank
Panin Bank Centre
Jl. Jend. Sudirman
Account Nr. 506923-00001

Send inquiries to: director@jfcc.info


*Morgan Mellish
Morgan Mellish was 36 years old when he died in the crash of Garuda Flight GA200 in Yogyakarta on March 7, 2007, one of 21 people to loose their lives that morning.
A talented journalist and lover of life, Morgan had been in Jakarta for just over a year, posted as The Australian Financial Review''s bureau chief.
Becoming a foreign correspondent was one of Morgan''s two professional aims; the other was winning a Walkley, Australia''s most prestigious journalism award. He achieved both in the same year; the latter for his revelations about the appointment of Liberal Party donor Robert Gerard to the Reserve Bank board.
Laid-back and with a cheeky grin, Morgan took his work extremely seriously, but that didnÃÕ hold back his adventurous side. He took full advantage of IndonesiaÃÔ vast outdoors, hiking, mountain biking, and his true passion: surfing.
His networks were broad, ranging from business leaders to politicians to other amateur athletes. It is still impossible to go for a surf at his favourite West Java break, Cimaja, without having other surfers - - both local and foreign - - asking after him. Indeed, some of Morgan''s ashes were scattered in those waters.
Morgan also had in spades the reporter''s knack for posing tough questions.
"Sometimes asking the most obvious and stupid things gets the best and least expected answers," he liked to say. "Don''t be afraid to sound like an idiot."
The Morgan Mellish Memorial Fund is intended to help enhance Indonesian journalism in ways that will encourage precisely that spirit of bold inquisitiveness.