Citation

Today Australian Catholic University is proud to honour one of its own graduates who has made significant improvements to the lives of her fellow citizens. Isabel Amaral Guterres has given witness to the Christian message of love through her service to the good of her fellow Timor-Leste citizens in particular.

Born and raised in Viqueque, Isabel was forced in the mid nineteen eighties to live the dangers and uncertainties of a refugee for many years of her adult life. Having sought refuge in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, she was offered support from the Jesuit Refugee Service and subsequently used her experiences as a refugee to assist others similarly displaced. The cause of the poor and the suffering became a life-changing mission for Isabel as she dedicated her energies to assist others. She has never wavered from this commitment and has given hope to those with whom she has come into contact.

Over the years Isabel has added English to Bahasa Indonesian, Portuguese and Tetum languages that she speaks with fluency.  She undertook academic studies in Australia and qualified as a nurse as well as continuing to assist refugees in that country. Whilst in Australia Isabel provided counsel to the many displaced people who had sought refuge from insecurity and political upheaval. Her life has been one of using her contacts and professional training to find ways to assist the lonely, the refugee, the despondent and the frightened.   

Isabel's return to Timor Leste in 1999 provided her with the opportunity to give significant assistance to her own people. Based in Maliana, she used her skills and commitment to collaborate with local teams to assist in the development of East Timorese nationhood. The practical nature of the assistance given to her people were acknowledged in 2002 when she was appointed as a National Commissioner to the Commission for Reception Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) after the turmoil of the preceding years. 

Without rancour, Isabel set about listening to the experiences of her fellow citizens. Officially based in Dili, she travelled the newly formed country of Timor-Leste to hear first hand the stories and the sufferings people, especially the women, had endured. She has played an invaluable role in the rebuilding of individual and national confidence, and the support for the victims of the turmoil.   Isabel's work has taken her to all districts of Timor-Leste, to Bosnia-Sarajevo, Croatia, Mexico, Italy, Fiji, West Timor-Indonesia and Australia in her efforts to find ways to ensure a practical, Christian response to the people's sense of past injustices and sufferings. Her focus has been on rehabilitation and moving forward rather than a punitive and ultimately fruitless approach.

Quietly spoken and sensitive to the concerns of the voiceless, Isabel has continued her life's work of service to others. In 2006 she was appointed the Secretary General of the Red Cross of Timor-Leste (CVTL), a position which used her professional education, practical experience and commitment to serve the poor. She has instigated programs to assist those in the districts and village level to receive sound medical assistance. 

Chancellor, I request that you bestow on Isabel Amaral Guterres Australian Catholic University's highest honour, Doctor of the University (honoris causa) in recognition of her lifetime's commitment to justice and service, especially to refugees.