DEPLU Youth Ambassadors to Australia
My name is Balqis. I am one of Youth Ambassadors of Indonesia
2009. All of us met Kevin from Kang Guru and the Ambassador
of Australia in Indonesia when my friends and I visited the
Australian Embassy in Jakarta. After that we all went to Perth
in Australia. Perth is a very natural and very beautiful city
and its citizens are so friendly. On the first day a delegation
of members of the Western Australian Parliament welcomed us
in their office. They gave us some snacks and drinks. And
after giving us a welcoming speech they kindly gave us a free
ticket to the Perth Zoo. On Day 2 we visited a local high
school and received information about the system of teaching
Bahasa Indonesia there. And I was very surprised because they
have very, very brilliant ideas about how to teach Indonesian
language and make their students enjoy it. On the third day
we did our live theater performance at Perth College. The
students liked our performance very much. Visiting Perth was
an unforgettable experience so thanks Australia that you are
a good neighbour to Indonesia and I trust that Indonesia and
Australia will have a good relationship forever. Thanks Kang
Guru.
Atina Balqis Izzah, a member of the
80 strong DEPLU Youth Ambassadors of Indonesia 2009 delegation
to Australia in August 2009, attends Asshiddiqiyah Islamic
Boarding School in Jakarta.
The links began way back in 1952
At a recent, Australian Scholarships alumni gathering in
Bogor, the guests included alumni from 1962 up to 2009. Yes,
scholarships to Australia have been around for a very long
time. Bapak Endang Supriatna graduated from The University
of Queens-land with a Masters degree in Science (Chemistry)
in 1962. He arrived in Brisbane in 1957 on a scholarship but
still remembers fondly his experiences in Australia.
“Brisbane was very quiet in those days but I loved my
time in Australia”. Endang returned to Indonesia to
become a leading educator in Science – and expert in
waste water treatment. Now 78, Pak Endang still delivers guest
lectures at the Bogor Agricultural Institute and often refers
to his experiences DownUnder.
IDP, in partnership with the Governments of
Australia and Indonesia, hosted the alumni gathering in Bogor. www.students.idp.com
BRIDGE
I’d like to tell you about our BRIDGE link with
Australia - SMAN 1 Denpasar and Mornington Secondary College
in Victoria, Australia. We have already agreed to make a stronger
relationship between us. Our students are communicating with
each other by letters, emails and on Facebook. I also want
to inform you that the Assistant Principal of MSC visited
our school in May, 2009, looking to make a sister-school relationship.
On September 24, Mrs. Sarah Burn, Principal of MSC, and Megan
Burns, a Level 8 student visited our school to share curriculum
ideas and teacher and student exchanges in the future. In
mid-October this year twenty-two students and one teacher
from our school went to Melbourne and visit MSC. Next year,
our school will send two science teachers to visit MSC for
two weeks.
Cok Anom - SMAN 1 Denpasar
Australia, I am on
my way!
Antoni
Tsaputra, a 2009 ADS awardee, will soon be heading to Australia
to do a Masters of Arts (Media and Communcations) at Griffith
University, Brisbane.
Antoni is one of the top 10 awardees for the
ADS this year. He was born with a congenital defect that means
he is wheelchair bound and has limited mobility. He works
for the local government in Padang as a translator and looks
after their website. Antoni is also a volunteer teaching English
to 60 of his neighbours in the garage of his house. Although
his home was damaged during the earthquake, Antoni's classes
are now open again. Good Luck DownUnder Antoni.
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