The father of Bali Nine member Scott Rush appeared in good spirits as he left a poignant sign outside his home after his son was brought to Australia.
Lee Rush gave a thumbs up as he spoke to a woman outside his Brisbane home on Monday, where a yellow ribbon was tied around the mailbox.
Yellow ribbons are used as a welcome sign for returning soldiers and released prisoners, as commemorated in the 1973 hit pop song Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.
Scott, along with Matthew Norman, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj, were flown back to Australia from Indonesia on Sunday, where they served 19 years behind bars for trying to smuggle heroin out of Denpasar airport in April 2005.
Following the arrest of the nine Australians, it was revealed that Mr Rush had tipped off and requested the Australian Federal Police to stop his son from leaving Australia, in a desperate bid to prevent him becoming involved in drug activities.
Scott’s lawyer claimed the AFP had reneged on promises to stop the group from leaving Australia, instead flying them to a country they knew could execute the drug smugglers.
Bishop Timothy Harris of Townsville, who has supported the Rush family through the ordeal for the past 19 years, told the Courier mail that Scott’s parents were “delighted to have their son back.”
“What concerns them is how we are going to receive Scott again,” Bishop Harris said.
Lee Rush, the father of released Bali Nine member Scott Rush, gave a thumbs up while speaking to a woman outside his Brisbane home on Monday
Scott Rush (pictured left) with his father Lee Rush, who tipped off Australian Federal Police about his son’s drug smuggling scheme
‘They will also have to adapt. How do you bring your son or daughter back into your family once all that hassle is over? The journey has only just begun.’
Bishop Harris first became involved in the case when he was a pastor in Brisbane and made a plea for compassion for the men, even though “no one condoned what they did”.
‘They learned a very hard lesson. It is now up to the Australian community to embrace them and help them get back on their feet,” he said.
‘Young people don’t have their lives in order, not even adults. This is a life journey for all of us.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese requested the transfer of the captured Bali Nine members during a recent meeting with new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during the APEC summit last month.
The Indonesian leader agreed to allow the prisoners to return home on humanitarian grounds.
It is believed there was no prisoner swap or any ‘quid pro quo’ with Indonesia as part of the men’s release.
When we landed in Darwin on Sunday afternoon, we transported the men to short-term accommodation in Howard Springs, which was previously a quarantine camp.
A yellow ribbon, used as a welcome sign for returning soldiers and released prisoners, was tied to Lee Rush’s mailbox Monday.
A Catholic bishop long involved with the Rush family said they were “delighted” at Scott’s release. Pictured is Scott’s father Lee on Monday
Their loved ones were aware of their impending return but were told by authorities they could not be there to greet them, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
It was clear that the lack of fuss was a sign of respect for President Subianto, who made the final decision to release the men.
The released prisoners will spend a short period here to continue their rehabilitation before being reunited with their families.
The men will not be allowed to return to Indonesia in the future.
The men thanked those who worked to secure their release in a joint statement released by their lawyers on Sunday evening.
‘In both Australia and Indonesia, DFAT has provided professional and sustained support for many years, both at senior level and with prison visits and personal assistance. The men and their families will always be grateful,” the statement said.
‘They look forward to eventually reintegrating into and contributing to society.
“The welfare of the men is a priority, they will need time and support, and we hope and trust that our media and community will take this into account.”
In 2015, the AFP denied that Lee Rush’s tip-off had caused the arrest of the Bali Nine, saying Indonesian authorities acted on more information about the group than just a tip-off from the concerned father.
“I want to take the pressure off Scott Rush’s father,” then AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said at a news conference at the time.
‘It is often reported that his tip led to this. That didn’t happen. I sympathize with Mr. Rush that it is being portrayed that way.
“The AFP was already aware of, and had begun investigating, what we believe was a syndicate actively recruiting couriers to import narcotics into Australia at the time Mr Rush had contact with the AFP.”
Bali Nine leaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in April 2015.
Also arrested was Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, who shared a cell with Stephen Rush and died of cancer in 2018.
The only female member of the Bali Nine, Renae Lawrence, was released that same year after her life sentence was reduced to 20 years on appeal.