Today marks the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jakarta. Indonesian Rugby will forever remember Craig Senger who was among the 9 persons tragically lost that day for the great service he gave to the Union and especially the Jakarta Bantengs RFC.

Craig decided in his time in Indonesia that he would prefer to play for the Bantengs as opposed to the Komodos where expatriates traditionally play their Rugby in Jakarta, given that he wanted to make an impact with the local population rather than just play Rugby. When I think back to that horrible day, one of the hardest things I had to do was notify current Indonesian Rugby Chairman, Bobby Orlando who was the President of the Jakarta Bantengs at that time and give him the unfortunate news about Craig’s passing. Losing a mate is always hard and even more so given the circumstances in which Craig and the others were killed that day, but I can always remember the way in which Bobby and all the Bantengs honoured their mate and how they praised him for his efforts on and off the Rugby field.

Craig also made an impact on the Aussie Rules footy field for the Jakarta Bintangs and it was very humbling to remember how players from both the Rugby and AFL codes came together with colleagues of Craig’s from the Australian Embassy, along with the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia at the time, HE Bill Farmer in a game ‘Fugby’ out at Cibubur to remember their fallen mate.

Craig you are always in our memory and we will always remember the positive impact you made during your time in Indonesia.