Expat Women – Success Story – Lynda Armstrong

OUR BLOG

Success Stories

Lyndall Sachs

Ms Sachs is currently a senior staff member of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Prior to her current appointment as Australia's Ambassador to Lebanon, she was the Assistant Secretary, Parliamentary and Media Branch and departmental Senior Spokesperson, a position she held since 2004. Prior to this she was Director, Media Liaison Section (2001-04). Before joining DFAT in 2001, Ms Sachs worked for the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), London, as Public Advocacy Officer and Senior Media Spokesperson (1997-2001). She has also held the positions of Refugee Initiatives Manager, Marie Stopes International (1996-97), and UNHCR Senior Public Information Officer in London (1994-95), Goma (formerly Zaire) (1994) and Belgrade (1991-94). Ms Sachs also held a variety of positions in several other commonwealth government agencies.

ExpatWomen's Interview with Lyndall

ExpatWomen: Lyndall, you have led a very fascinating life. Let's start with your time at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR has a reputation for being an incredibly selective employer, with a lot of competition to join the UNHCR, due I suspect to the potential to work on very interesting and rewarding projects around the world. How did you get into the UNHCR and was it truly as interesting as it appears?

Lyndall: I have a long-standing interest in refugee and humanitarian issues - which developed as a result of my own family background, my academic studies, and observing the contributions that refugees made to Australia's society. I joined UNHCR at a time when Yugoslavia was slipping into a brutal and savage civil war. Not surprisingly, many people were not prepared to work in this very dangerous and difficult environment.

I am a strong supporter of the UN and the role it plays. And UNHCR, as defender of the world's refugees – is vital if these most vulnerable of people rights are to be protected. With many millions still forced to flee their homes, the organisation has been forced to confront a decline in attitudes towards providing protection and asylum. The organisation faces many challenges in protecting refugees' rights in the west and in developing countries, where the vast majority of refugees are. The opportunity to work in these diverse environments makes for a very interesting job.

ExpatWomen: What would you consider to be some of your most challenging and alternatively some of your most rewarding experiences with the UNHCR?

Lyndall: Working with the UNHCR was very tough at times – I lived in a tent in Zaire, I was held up at gun-point in the former Yugoslavia and I occasionally doubted the wisdom of and rationale for the work we were doing. But it was also incredibly rewarding – I worked with people whose professionalism, commitment and hard work knew no limits; I met refugees who had lost everything themselves, but still were able to help others around them; and perhaps best of all, is being able to share the joy with someone whose life you helped rebuild either in a new country or back in their homes.

ExpatWomen: Now you are with the Australian Foreign Service, as their Ambassador to Lebanon. Let's dispel the myth of the diplomatic life as one just of cocktail circuits and luxury. Can you please give us an idea of what the daily role and life of an Ambassador looks like?

Lyndall: My welcome to the diplomatic circuit was in many ways a baptism of fire. Within three months of my arrival in Lebanon, the war between Hizbollah and Israel broke out and I was overseeing the largest peacetime evacuation of over 5000 terrified Australians. Part of my role as Ambassador is to have a wide network of contacts. In those first three months, I had made a point of meeting as many key people as possible in the immigration, security, military and political circles, and built all important relationships with "like-minded" diplomatic missions. I had also traversed the length and breadth of Lebanon, checking out borders, and getting an understanding of the country and its terrain. The effort I had put in in those early days paid off enormously. For 34 long days I and my staff worked 20-hour days, often without electricity, accompanied by the daily sounds of the bombings just a few kilometres away from our homes and the embassy. And at the end of this turbulent time, we were proudly able to say we achieved the safe evacuation of Australians.

And since those dark days, whilst we are no longer working under conditions of war, we have experienced major, often violent and deadly protests, and over a dozen high profile assassinations and bombings in Beirut and beyond. I can confidently say, I and my hard working 45 staff are enjoying anything but a champagne lifestyle. And as Ambassador, there is no separation from your personal and professional life – you are always "on duty".

ExpatWomen: How easy or difficult has it been for you to fit into Lebanese culture – both in terms of work and personal life?

Lyndall: I have a long-standing interest in the country, which was ignited and inspired by another female expatriate and then ABC journalist, Diane Willman, who was reporting from Beirut on the Civil War in the mid to late 70s. I would listen avidly to her reports. In the late 70's, I travelled in the Middle East as a university student, but did not get to Lebanon because of the war. And in the mid 90's when I was working for a major British charity which focussed on women's issues, I visited the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. In addition, I had read widely and spoken to other Australian female Ambassadors who had worked in the region, so I had some idea of what to expect.

The Lebanese are very engaging and social. And as a diplomat, you are feted and have the most wonderful access – from the Prime Minister down. With everyone so eager to share their view, the major challenge is making sense of it all!

It is important to understand and respect the different cultural mores of the society. There has been one or two occasions where there has been some confusion about the fact that I am a woman, which in some more conservative circles dictates how I am dealt with, and my role as Australia's Ambassador. But these matters are normally resolved with grace and good humour.

I love to hike, and have taken great pleasure in exploring the more remote parts of Lebanon – which sometimes shocks my hosts as I will insist that an invitation to a lunch be accompanied by a ramble in the mountains! I have, on occasion, been accompanied by the entire community, plus an armed guard or two.

ExpatWomen: What are your favourite aspects of Lebanon and your favourite Lebanese attributes?

Lyndall: As with any place, it is the people who make it. The Lebanese' strong sense of family, their hospitality and gregariousness, their joi d'vivre, are perhaps my favourite aspects. From a professional point of view, it is fascinating and very stimulating to work in such a complex political environment and to observe the challenges and limitations of international diplomacy in action. And, when the security situation and work commitments permit, to take in the sights and sounds of what is a beautiful and diverse country.

ExpatWomen: Finally Lyndall, what words of wisdom can you impart to our worldwide expat women audience?

Lyndall: Be flexible, adaptable, and willing and open to new ideas and experiences. Never lose your curiosity about the place you are living in – because if you have, it is time to leave. Always look for the commonalities and shared aspects of the communities in which you are living. The joy of living and experiencing life abroad is about exploring and learning from what is new and different from our own culture(s). Oh, and a good sense of humour and ability to look on the wry side can help!