Fiona has had a long association with Indonesia
Fiona said her love affair with Indonesia began after her first trip fourteen years ago. She was very interested
in Indonesian literature and chose to study Indonesian at Monash University, Melbourne for three years. Then
she took up the opportunity to study Indonesian literature for three months at the University of Gajah Mada
in Jogjakarta. While she was at university she also played in a gamelan orchestra at the Indonesian Consulate
General in Melbourne. In 1999 she moved to Canberra to work at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
After working in many different areas she was appointed First Secretary, Cultural at the Australian Embassy
Jakarta. This was an exciting opportunity for her to get more involved with her great interest in Indonesian
cultural activities.
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In Jakarta she works alongside Wati Syamsu, an Indonesian who began working at the embassy in 1976. KGRE asked
Fiona and Wati to explain the purpose of the cultural section of an embassy. Fiona says she feels very lucky
working in this department, as she loves meeting many different people as she travels around Indonesia. She
visits schools, universities and community centres talking to Indonesians about life in Australia. She tells
them about the many things Australia and Indonesia have in common such as family life and schools. In her
12 months in Indonesia she has visited Aceh, Padang, Jambi, Bandung, Jogjakarta, Malang, Surabaya, Bali and
Lombok and is looking forward to visiting Eastern Indonesia.
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Cultural Programs
Wati explained some of the programs the Australian Embassy facilitates –
the ‘People to People’ links which help build understanding between the two cultures.
The Arts Program brings
together artists from Australia and Indonesia in both the performing arts and visual arts. The artists hold workshops
and information exchanges as well as exciting public performances and exhibitions. They also visit schools, hold
meetings, discussions and demonstrations with other artists sharing their experiences and transferring skills.
The Muslim Exchange Program began in 2002 and at least 50 young
Muslim leaders have visited Australia on six weeks tours to see how Australians, including Australian Muslims
practise religion. In Australia they visit schools to explain the role of Islam in the daily life of Indonesian
society and they meet Australian religious leaders, visit churches and synagogues. About 15 Australians have
visited Indonesia under this program visiting Islamic Centres, Pesantren and Islamic Universities.
The Australian Studies Program is open to Indonesians in
a variety of fields. Its aim is that many people will learn about the history of Australia, its diversity and
about Australia's relationships with its neighbouring countries.
AIYEP, or the Australian Indonesian Youth Exchange Program, has been running successfully
for 25 years. It provides opportunities for young people from Indonesia and Australia to appreciate the culture,
development and way of life in each other's country. Each participant stays with a host family for two months
and joins in a work experience program related to their line of work at home.
You can read more about all of these programs on www.dfat.gov.au and
the KGRE website www.kangguru.org – go to AusAID archives.
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