Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly had ensured that Mr Collins, a longtime campaigner for Timor Leste, was an official guest at a luncheon for Jose Ramos-Horta, President of Timor Leste.

The event at Parliament House was attended by the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, Mr Kelly, parliamentary colleag-ues, foreign dignitaries and Australians who had been working with the Timorese.

Mr Collins and his wife Moira were among the founders of the Bega Valley Advocates for Timor Leste contributing their time and their savings to the cause of the Timorese.

“It was a fitting tribute to the hard work of Jim and the Bega Valley Advocates to receive a personal invitation to attend lunch with the president of Timor Leste,” Mr Kelly said.

“The Advocates have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people living in the one of the world’s newest but also most volatile democracies.

“During my time as a member of the Australian Defence Force I served in East Timor and saw first hand the challenges facing the rebuilding effort for the many agencies involved.”

“I applaud the efforts of Bega Valley Advocates for Timor Leste and look forward to seeing their continuing success,” he said.

Mr Collins said at the lunch local Aborigines in Aboriginal costume gave a very appropriate welcome to country.

“The then Prime Minister was the main speaker welcoming Ramos-Horta who, in reply thanked all those Australians voluntary organisations who had been helping out in Timor Leste,” he said.

“The luncheon wasn’t drawn out and as soon as it was over Mike Kelly came and grabbed me to have my photo taken with the President and the Prime Minister.

“There had been rumblings on the radio that morning about leadership problems but at our meeting Rudd was totally and completely professional.

“I hadn’t met Ramos-Horta before but I had met his relatives.

“He comes from Barique and told me that he had given the community there a generator a few years back.

“I told him that the generator had broken down six months later because nobody knew how to service it but it was working once again thanks to one of the Bega Valley Delegates who fixed it.

“We had a chat about Natarbora which was where the first Dominicans operated in the 17th century.

“I told him that the Barique community was not just having problems with generators but a few months ago when I was in Timor Leste the Barique chefe couldn’t come to a meeting with us because the condition of the road was so bad he couldn’t get through.

“Ramos-Horta acknowledged that it was a real problem getting services to remote areas.

“Rudd asked me where I got my coat as he would like one like it.

“I told him that the District Administrator of Manatuto, Elvino Rego, wore a similar coat when he attended a Bega Valley Shire Council welcome some years ago, but it was burnt during the Dili troubles.

“The coat was made from a traditional woven cloth patterned to represent the Manatuto district – a bit like a tartan.

“Elvino and I became friends and when I helped some pilgrims to get their plane to Australia he gave me a similar traditional coat as a farewell present.

“I’ve only worn it a couple of times.

“Anyhow the Prime Minister was very taken with it.

“It wasn’t until I reached my motel that night that I found out that a leadership challenge was afoot,” Mr Collins said.