Remembering Pat Walsh: A Poet's Enduring Connection to Indonesia

In memory of Pat I think we met in the mid-1980s at a party, not long after I moved from Sydney – maybe at an Inside Indonesia gathering or a party. Pat Walsh was an activist, a writer, a friend and a poet. He loved poetry, but probably more than that, it was his passion. Patrick Walsh, a former Catholic priest who loves poetry – not just poetry in English, but poetry in other languages, including Indonesian. He hardly ever missed a gathering of the Jembatan Poetry Society. The last time he joined us was in late August 2015 for a gathering at Nelayan Penyet Restaurant, on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne. His books such as, Di Tempat Kejadian Perkara and ‘Stormy with a Chance of Fried Rice – Twelve months in Jakarta, included many poems alongside his essays and reflections. Stormy with a Chance of Fried Rice – 12 months in Jakarta published in 2015, in my opinion, it the best of his books. The cover is especially funny: a man with a moustache and a cat running away because someone is chasing her with a knife. It's just a brilliant cover! Fortunately, Pat allowed me to record readings of some of his poetry including A perfect lunch break and GA 716 Flight to Melbourne. The last time I saw Pat was at St Vincent's Hospital on 17 November 2025. Our last conversation on WhatsApp was just a few hours before he passed away on 29 December. Our final few exchanges over WhatsApp highlight his love of friendship, company, conversation and most of all, poetry. 17/11/2025 AA: Pagi Pat, besok siang saya datang PW: Ok. Nice. 18/11/2025 AA: Poetry Reading finishes 12 I'll come straight come by train! Ward no pls Thanks PW: Lovely. StVs public hospital. 6th floor. Room 11. But call if you get bushed. Anybody else also welcome. AA: The one in Commercial Rd, Prahran, right? PW: Tentu TIDAK!! St Vincents hospital at city end of Fitzroy, near St Patrick's Cathedral, Eye and Ear Hospital, ACU... Collins St tram. AA: Ok trims Got it! PW: Bagus. AA: I mentioned to Bela & Sri that you're in the hospital. Cepat sembuh ya 19/11/2025, 4:33 pm PW: Am home now. AA: Oh good! I was going to give you a call about the poem 'In extremis'; I am preparing an e-book 'A Collection of JPS's Poems & I am going put it & some from 'The storm fried rice....', is it ok? Look after yourself Pat! Salam 20/11/2025, 9:39 am PW: Of course. Delighted. Will you include 'In the Beginning' (from Giving off Smoke)? It's about the origin or source of poetry. As you know 'In extremis' is Latin for being on the edge or extremity which I was healthwise in October when I put it together. 'A confession' too! AA: I'll put a few more...! I had to check to see what Confession is about. 65 PW: Sorry. Interruption. If you include Confessions, can you add missing 'you' to 'catch-me-if-can' p. 109. Haha.... 'itu hanya lelucon!' Ga serius! 29/11/2025, 2:59 pm AA: Selamat sore Pat, apa kabar? We will miss you at Poetry Reading! Salam PW: Thank you Anton. I am home and being treated at StVs as an outpatient. So far so good thanks. Best to you and all the jembatans. Here is a verse I wrote in St Vs that highlights the skill of nurses and their readiness to also perform menial tasks: The nurse One metre tall, if that glasses too big for her button nose but housing a surgeon's brain the nurse impressed with her tute on steroids then emptied the urine bottle and made the bed. When I visited him at St. Vincent’s he gave me a poem he wrote called ‘In extremis’, to be read at the Jembatan Poetry Society, with the note: ‘This is a bit stark. Apologies. But it gave me a chance to have a shot at the state of the world, Trump, my own no fun in extremis and to connect to an in justice that changed the world but that, though increasingly bypassed, started this amazing place...in between pricks, drugs and also a lot of blood letting. Haha. Its first words are meant to capture the imagined reactions from the very diverse staff and visitors at St Vincent’s Hospitals. October 2025.’ As I stood at door to the hospital room, before saying goodbye to Pat and Annie, I prayed that I would see him again. But it wasn’t to be. A week after Pat passed away, my brother-in-law also passed away, and so I had to go back to Indonesia. I missed Pat’s funeral. I'm sorry, Pat... and to his family, Annie, Mayra, Suzannah, and Patricia. Anton Alimin ([email protected]) is a member of Jembatan Society and an old friend of Pat and family. We are a volunteer-run, open access magazine. We rely on donations to ensure that we continue to deliver a diverse range of quality content. Donate today! Receive Inside Indonesia's latest articles and quarterly editions in your inbox. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the stolen lands on which Inside Indonesia is based, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.