An Unconventional Woman

When Jean Walters’ parents invite Sergeant Julius Tahija home for dinner, little do they realise the impact it will have on their lives. But from the minute Jean lays eyes on the young Indonesian soldier, and falls in love, things are never the same. Forsaking her safe Australian life, Jean risks all when they marry. Leaving her family, friends, career and home behind, she joins her husband in a country beset by revolution. There, she and Julius must survive years of living dangerously, as Jean gradually comes to understand and love her new home. There too, her husband’s fortunes begin to grow with the country he serves and he becomes one of Indonesia’s most successful and respected businessmen. Now, fifty years later, Jean Tahija looks back on their lives together in her compelling autobiography of a love that defied convention and a life lived across two cultures.