Updated: 12/09/26. Michael (Mick) Stevens passed away on September 6th, 2026, in Medan North Sumatra, his home for over 25 years. Mick studied at Macquarie University and then the University of Sydney, later working as a high school teacher and at the University of NSW teaching English in the 1980’s and early 90’s. These were the pioneering years for international education.
He came to Sumatra in 2000 with his Javanese wife, Lian, after stints in Malaysia and Singapore on UNSW projects. Mick was appointed by Insearch Language Centre UTS (now UTS College) as Manager of the Australia Centre Medan (ACM). The Centre had been established 1994.
Mick became a much-loved and respected local identity, a quality-driven educational leader and a friend to all.
The Centre taught English and Indonesian Language and added activities as an IELTS Testing Centre, a student recruitment agency, an arts and cultural hub, an Australian Studies Library, and a trusted visa office. From 1997 until 2012 it provided Australian government consular services to North and West Sumatra with outreach into Aceh province, all done with a deft human touch.
In addition to his primary role, Mick served as the tireless Australian Honorary Consul and was on the frontline of the regions most dramatic natural disasters. Mick, his loyal staff and wife Lian provided outstanding support for the Australian Government response to the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and the West Sumatra earthquake.Local knowlege, networks and contacts were not something that our Embassy in Jakarta had at its fingertips. Key Australia Centre staff, including Mick, received service medals from the Australian government for their role in supporting the Tsunami response.
The Australian surfing community in the Mentawai Islands and Aceh, Australians in trouble and many NGOs active across the region received humanitarian assistance and friendship from Mick and his staff. He also provided a perspective on the social, cultural, and political events of the region.
Mick was an honest and reliable local partner in managing tsunami rebuilding funds raised by coastal communities in Australia, as well as securing safe distribution of the 2005 scholarship funding program provided by the then Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET). These projects directed funds to educational institutions and local communities in both Aceh and West Sumatra after the tsunami and the 2005/6 earthquakes.
The funeral service held on September 10th, 2026 commemorated his outstanding contribution to international education and Indonesian-Australian relations.His Australian sister and family members travelled to Medan to farewell Mick, their much loved brother and uncle.
Vale Mick Stevens
Michael Fay established the Australia Centre Medan in 1994 while joint managing director of Insearch Language Centre UTS. He remained a lifelong friend of Mick Stevens and sends his condolences to Mick and his family in Australia and Medan.
