Frederick Wooldridge, 1968 - 2010
Political Affairs Officer (United Kingdom and Austria)
Frederick Wooldridge, a national of the United Kingdom, was a Senior Political Affairs and Planning Officer for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since 2007.
Frederick or “Fred,” as many preferred to call him, was a member of the UN family since 1997. He was among the first to join the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) where he was the Special Assistant to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. In 2004 he was appointed Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary of the UN Compensation Commission, based in Geneva.
One of his colleagues said, “Fred loved his work with the United Nations and was committed to helping developing countries build better futures for their people.”
Born in Tasmania, Fred returned to England with his family in 1970 and spent most of his early life in Kent. He studied at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies.
A colleague from UNMIL said, “Fred leaves behind our colleague, Teamar Melle, his beloved wife, whom he met and fell in love with whilst serving in Liberia.” Fred married Teamar, who also works for the UN and is still stationed in Liberia, at a seaside ceremony in Positano, Italy in 2009.
A colleague described Fred as “a true gentleman, with a warm and sensitive nature, dedicated to his friends and family.”
Another colleague from Liberia said of the conversations he had with Fred, “I took pleasure in these conversations and humor. Was it because of your oh-so-British accent or was it just you with your friendly, classy style?”
A colleague in Geneva remembered Fred’s good nature, saying, “We have worked and also laughed a lot together. [He] loved the mountains and I, the sea, and we often talked about that.”
A spokesman for the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the Prime Minister’s thoughts were with Fred’s family and friends: “The Prime Minister is hugely grateful for the work that Frederick and others were doing in the UN Stabilization Mission: helping to build a stronger Haiti, and giving people hope where they had none.”
Fred is survived by his wife, Teamar, his parents, Judith and Harry, his brother, sister and grandmother.