KangGURU Magazine for December 2001

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The Kang Guru Radio English magazine is produced three times per year in April, August and December. Special thanks to AusAID for their continued support of the magazine. The magazine is a compilation of articles and information taken from the Kang Guru Radio Program with additional material included for special purposes. Send us a letter or E-mail, written in English, and we will gladly send you your own copy of our latest magazine- FREE!. Our new magazine is out NOW and is full of great information, photographs and activities for you to enjoy.

Our postal address is -  PO Box 3095, Denpasar  80030
Bali, Indonesia

What's in the latest KangGURU magazine?

Many of the usual Kang Guru features are included in this edition.  Listeners' Letters, Idioms Inggris with David Spiller from ADS in Jakarta, Kang Guru Connection Club news and several easy competitions are all there for you. Many of the articles talk about the links that exist between Indonesia and Australia and there are certainly a lot of those. Links going back 400 years between the people of Makassar and the Aboriginals of Northern Australia for example.   There are education links, business links and “PEOPLE” links as well. The Australian Navy is featured along with two international airlines - Garuda and Qantas. We have several 'Did You Know' pieces of information with one about how special KGRE really is here in Indonesia. AusAID has many links in Indonesia and we look at just a few of them including a great self-sustaining project in Lombok.

  Recent Issues of the Kang Guru magazine

Listener's Letters

Good Friends for sure!

The first, I'm so proud of AusAID's action and funds for our beloved country Indonesia. The funds that are given for some projects in this difficult time really shows your friendship. From this reality I do believe and agree what you say "Good Neighbours Make Good Friends". And I hope you'll always be our good neighbours, friends and families forever. Viva AusAID! Viva Indonesia and Australia! Secondly, I would like to say thanks for sending me the Kang Guru magazine. You know, it's really helpful for me in improving my English besides I know much more about Australia, the people, the culture and interesting places in Australia. Your sweet listener.

Sukayati
Kediri - EAST JAVA

Thank you for your letter Sukayati. AusAID is happy that their contributions to Indonesia are appreciated and thank you for writing your letter showing how you feel about AusAID.

No AusAID in Aceh?

Thank you very much for your attention over the last two years. Although I never give you any reply you still remember to send me your lovely magazine each time. I really don't want to forget it but since 2 years ago I had left Banda Aceh to move to Langsa because I got a job and of course I never joined the Kang Guru show on RRI anymore. So if you don't mind, please send me your next magazine to my new address. Reading your articles make me sure that you had done a lot for my lovely country, Indonesia. It matches your motto 'Good Neighbours Make Good Friends'. Anyway is there any program for us in Aceh? If you have, please tell me. I would like to know because until now you write about Java Island, Bali and Nusa Tenggara much more than any other places. And if you have chance to go to Banda Aceh, don't forget to contact me.

Salminuriati

Langsa - D. I. ACEH

You can read about AusAID activities in Sumatra in this issue of the magazine and we have already had interviews with many high school students from Sumatra on our radio program.

How To Listen to KGRE?

First I would like to thank very much for sending me your August 2001 magazine. It's pretty attractive and provides so many things to read. Certainly by reading your magazines I can improve my English especially vocabulary. I can know about Australia, AusAID programs and many more things. In this letter I have two important things that I want to ask for. The first one is indeed I have never listened to your radio program in Batu Kajang. Therefore I would like to know how to get your broadcast in Batu Kajang. The second one is I wanna ask for your help to get a scrabble dictionary. I also wanna remind you that your magazine is extraordinary but it is more interesting if it had more than 12 pages in each edition. I really love Kang Guru very much because it can make our relationship (Indonesia-Australia) closer and closer. I pray to God that we always will be blessed, both Indonesia-Australia and Kang Guru with the readers and listeners. Benefits I have got and I will never forget. Yours sincerely.

Predika Danu Martha

Batu Kajang - EAST KALIMANTAN

Predika, you can try to listen to the KG show from RRI Jakarta on SW frequency every Sunday on SW 25.45m at 18.00 wib OR maybe RRI Palangkaraya on SW 90.22m at 16.40 wib.

Kang Guru Linking to the World

At the 5th International Conference on Language for Development held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in early September, 2001 several Conference Presenters talked about their involvement with radio programs. The use of radio to assist with English language learning, often in resource poor environments, was one of the focus areas of the conference. Presenters included Kaz Janowski from the BBC World Service program 'In the Field' and David Levy from Canada, producer of the 'Everyday English' radio series which reached millions of people in the People's Republic of China a few years ago. Participants in the Kang Guru presentation were particularly interested to hear about the work of Kang Guru and AusAID in Indonesia as well as the wide variety of links that KGRE has with English learners in Indonesia including the Kang Guru Connection network, this magazine, the rapidly growing website and hundreds of English language classrooms in schools across the country through Kang Guru In The Classroom. KGRE will be featured in the next series of ''Living English Magazine'' to be broadcast next year on BBC World.

Did you know that Indonesia is the only country with Kang Guru Radio English?

Links between People Julie Janson is a writer from Australia and has for many years been deeply involved with Aboriginal communities in the far north of Australia. Julie learnt some very interesting things while she was in the northern areas of Australia.

"The Makassan people used to come to northern Australia every year to trade with the Aboriginal people. There are still many 'Indonesian' words in the language of the Aboriginal people of northern Australia. Nasi, pisang, rupiah, Ballanda (white man) and arak are just a few examples.

The Aboriginal people in north Australia are called the Yolgnu people. The language they use is mainly the Djumbarpoyna language. The Yolgnu people have many cultural objects which they received from the Makassan people such as knives, material, wine, money, rice and sugar. These objects were part of the culture for Aboriginal people well before the British came. The trading only stopped in 1929 which means the Makassan people had a longer relationship with the Yolgnu people than the white Australians have ever had".

The introduction of immigration policies by the Australian Government put a stop to that 400 year old trading relationship. Many Yolgnu people have Makassan ancestors and are very proud of the shared heritage with Indonesia.

HMAS LEEUWIN In late July 2001, the HMAS Leeuwin visited Indonesia on a Goodwill Visit. The HMAS Leeuwin is a ship in the Australian Navy but it is not the usual type of naval vessel - it is a hydrographic ship. The Captain of the HMAS Leeuwin is Lieutenant Commander Michael Beade. KGRE spoke to Mike and he told us a little about the visit and his ship.

"In the short time we've been here already I certainly know that we've thoroughly enjoyed it. Many of the ship's company have taken the opportunity to play golf, on two of Asia's best golf courses, taken in the sights of a number of temples, and obviously done a fair amount of shopping".

Mike explained what a hydrographic ship does. "A hydrographic ship produces charts or maps of the ocean. Just as a car driver needs a road map to go from point A to point B, a ship also needs a map of the ocean to safely navigate from one port to another. What we do is go out on the ocean and gather information so that we can put all that information onto a chart. The information can come in paper form as well as electronic form which ship navigators, including Indonesian sailors, can load into their computers.That information shows how deep the water is, where the islands are and where there are hazards to shipping such as reefs and so on".

If you would like more information and a special photograph of the 
HMAS Leeuwin, plus an Australian Navy sticker then write to KGRE
 and ask for them. Use a POSTCARD only.

AusAID Projects and Sustainability

Jennifer Rawson is the Deputy Director General of the Asia and Corperate Division of AusAID in Canberra. Jennifer visited Lombok in September 2001 and looked at the work of an Illiteracy Program for women in Pujut Subdistrict, that was funded by AusAID.

"This was an activity implemented by Pusat Study Pembangunan NTB which had received some funding from AusAID.The project worked with 12 women's groups each with about 20 members. These women did not learn to read and write when they were young. This activity has taught them to read and write and it also set up a revolving credit facilty that provides working capital for income generating activities they have developed. The AusAID assistance finished about a year ago".

Jennifer commented that after one year it was great to see that the women were still studying and that the line of credit is still available. The women are committed to continuing the project activities. They are also working on ways to further develop their businesses. The project is now self-sustaining.

"The sustainability issue is one that we're always looking at in AusAID because although we can work with our partners in Indonesia in developing a project and implementing it, it is important that when AusAID leaves that the project does not stop. We've got to make sure that we leave our Indonesian partners with the technical skills they need and the sense of commitment to their activity to continue after the AusAID role is finished. Within Asia, Indonesia stands out as our primary development co-operation partner and is an extremely important neighbor indeed"

Links through Languages

Bundhowi and Dian, two English language teachers from IALF Bali went to Australia recently and worked in Australian schools for 3 months teaching Bahasa Indonesia. Bun and Dian worked in different schools. Bun was in Evans Head on the North Coast of New South Wales while Dian was in Nowra on the South Coast. Of course they enjoyed every minute of their experience. Links were established by their contact with Aussie teachers and students - links that will last for a long time.

Dian Wijayanti "The first time I got there the students weren't shy to talk to me, a stranger, and they asked me lots of questions which I found different from Indonesian students. Indonesian students are quite shy, especially to talk to new teacher. And even in the classroom whenever I asked them questions, they were always keen to answer. It was summer so the weather was quite hot. When I went to school I saw some teachers wearing shorts and t-shirts and I found this quite strange because I've never seen a teacher teaching in front of the class wearing shorts before".

Bundhowi "Before I went to Australia I was reminded to be careful in Australia. Be careful of this and that. People there don't like Indoesians very much and they're racist. I went to Evans Head. It is a country town. It changed my perceptions completely. I knew it already but this confirmed what I already knew. That is that all people are the same - friendly and helpful. Every morning I found on the desk in the school room fruit, eggs, and cakes from the students and parents and this was really surprising and touching".

Winners of the 5 tasks in the August 2001 KG magazine

TASK 1. Aussie Rules Football

1. When did the VFL become the AFL?
2. What colors do the The Demons wear?

1. The VFL became the AFL in 1990.
2. The Demons wear Red and Dark Blue (Black) colours

TASK 2. The most interesting stories about climbing mountains are from :

These lucky five winners have won an Aussie Music cassette from KGRE plus a cuddly little koala.

Read some of these stories by clicking HERE

TASK 3. What does COREMAP stand for?

Answers : COREMAP stands for Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program.

The 5 lucky winners of the COREMAP Board Game, a KG-Tshirt and buku tulis are:

TASK 4 - an environmental activity.

What percentage of vehicles using petrol did not pass the test on June 5^th, 2001?

Answers : 77% of vehicles using petrol did not pass the test.

The 20 lucky winners of Aussie Bookmarks and KG T-shirt are:

TASK 5. Tips on learning English
The 6 winners have won a selection of English language books and the winners are:

No.	Names	Address
1.	Andy M. Hanafi	SMUN 1 Tompobulu - Bantaeng Sulawesi Selatan 92461
2.	Tadir	Jl. Manunggal VIII RT.XVI No.1441 Tg. Redeb (Berau) Kalimantan Timur - 73221
3.	Arfan Toppano	Jl. Merdeka No.107 Curup 39117 R / L Bengkulu 39117
4.	Muhammad Abdul Latif	SMK Islam 45 Jl. Watu Ulo No.112 Ambulu, Jember 68172, Jatim
5.	Neneng Hendriyani	Kp. Pos RT.07/XI No.19 Kel. Pabuaran, Kec. Cibinong Kab. Bogor 16916, Jawa Barat
6.	IG. Ade Surya S.D.	Jl. Kabangan I No.1 RT.04 RW.04 Bumi Laweyan, Surakarta 57148 Jawa Tengah

Idioms Inggris

David Spiller is the Team Leader for the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) Program, an AusAID supported program in Indonesia. David is a dinky di Aussie and he says that he often uses these idioms.

Please note: If you like idioms be sure to listen to KGRE. The radio program averages 10 'new' idioms every month - a great way to learn them easily.

The first one - it is so windy it would blow the dog of a chain.

'Last night there was a terrible storm. Lots of heavy rain and the wind was so strong it would have blown the dog right off the chain'

Think about this! If a dog is chained up and the wind is so strong that it breaks the chain and the dog goes free then we know the wind must have been very strong. This is highly unlikely of course, but idioms do not always make too much sense.

David's next favorite idiom is as scarce as hens' teeth. Now we all know that hens or chicken do not have teeth so hen's teeth are indeed scarce. Impossible in fact!

'Out in the Australian desert water is as scarce as hens' teeth. It is bloody dry, that's for sure'.

And the last one from David is dead slow. Nothing is slower than this.

'The old car is really in bad condition. The engine is no good and the wheels don't go around too well but it still goes eventhough it is dead slow'.

blow the dog off the chain - angin yang keras sekali

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