TEMPO.CO, Jakarta- Made Wijaya nee Richard White, an Australian who lived most of his life in Bali, died two days ago in Sidney. He will be remembered for his breathtakingly beautiful landscaping of gardens in Bali.
Wijaya first arrived in Bali in 1973 after jumping off a ship and swimming ashore during a rainstorm. His visit to Bali was intended to be a short break from studies in Australia. However, he eventually gave in to the spell of Bali's enchanting culture and tradition and later decided to move in with a Brahmin family in the southern part of the island.
After various jobs teaching tennis and English andworking as a tour guide and photo-journalist, his innate sense of design and beauty inevitably led him back to architecture and tropical landscaping. Wijaya began contributing to guide books before being asked to design the gardens of the legendary Bali Oberoi.
He continued to design parks for the public, as well as private clients, including the late rock star David Bowie, and the American screenwriter, film director and producer Francis Ford Coppola.
Wijaya ran a landscaping company known as Wijaya Tribwana International, employing some 500 artisans which he called his 'garden commandos'. Altogether, he created more than 600 memorable gardens.
MAHINDA ARKYASA
