Kang GURU Travels
to Jakarta — March, 2007
by Kevin Dalton
Kevin travelled to Jakarta in late March to collect interviews for KGRE. He met with Tora Sudiro for
an interview and with the crew of Extravaganza at Trans TV. Kevin also met and interviewed John
Pariwono, a senior member of the Academic Interview panel for the annual Australian Development Scholarships
program (ADS). Kevin met with AusAID and Cultural Section
staff at the Australian Embassy as well as spending time at IALF Jakarta.
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This trip to Jakarta started off with flight problems but at least I made it to Jakarta. That's the main thing
in the long run!. I went straight from the airport to Pondok Indah Mall No.1. It seems to be the place to
meet artists for interviews as I have already met with Sammy Rizal and Piyu from PADI there before.
This time it was a meeting/interview with movie actor and Extravaganza star Tora Sudiro. He was there
having his favorite food, Japanese, with his parents and his manager, Pak Didik. Tora was very interested
to hear of the work of KGRE and was surprised to hear that KGRE has almost 130 radio stations broadcasting
KGRE around the country.
Tora answered questions about his movies, his work, his love of food, hie involvement with ‘Extravaganza’ and
his time in Perth, Australia, in the late 90s. The interview was more like a chat than an interview. I also
put questions to Tora given to me by KGRE-ites such as Joseph and Adi from IALF Bali, Pak Bowo from Banyuwangi
and Laura, an old KGRE friend from Jakarta. Tora was very happy to answer all of those questions about his
movies and his life. He commented that he doesn't often get opportunities to use his English these days and
how he enjoyed our chit chat together. His English is really natural and you can hear him on KGRE radio soon.
Don't worry too much. I am sure that Pak Didik and Tora ARE good freinds but they couldn't resist fooling
around at the interview. Thanks Pak Didik for helping organizing the interview AND to Ogi from KGRE as well.
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On Monday I called into the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development (AIPRD) office
in Kebon Siri, Jakarta, to chat with Sari Siahaan about KGRE. Sari looks after KGRE for AusAID and it was good
to chat with her about the future of the project. I then had coffee with Karen Ingrams from AusaID Canberra
and with Mia Salim, AusAID Public Relations, based at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. We talked a lot about
Ogi's planned trip to Australia in late April and in particular, Ogi's visit to AusAID Canberra. Ogi will give
a brief and informal presentation to staff at the Canberra office of AusAID. Ogi will also visit important landmarks
in the city including the National Gallery, Parliament House and the National War Museum. Then it was onto IALF
head office in Jalan Rasuna Said for a brief chat with Geoff Crewes, CEO of the IALF.
Just after lunch I headed to Bogor. I interviewed John Pariwono, one of the principal Indonesian academics who
works together with the Australian Development Scholarships (ADS). For the past 15 years, John has been a member
of the academic interviews panel for ADS. Along with other Indonesian and Australian academics, John interviews
candidates who have applied for these valuable scholarships. This KGRE interview was basically about John's
tips and advice for candidates. The advic will definitely help candidates to do better when they undergo their
academic interviews. The interview, along with the corresponding English language test and interview (IELTS)
determines whether the candidate will be awarded one of the scholarships. John's advice will be featured in
the June and September KGRE magazines. Applications for the next round of scholarships opens in June this year
so check the June KGRE magazine and KGRE website for John's advice about filling in the Application Form successfully.
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Aming, a regular performer on Extravaganza is also studying English amongst other things. Aming was
being photographed (still photography) for the show and was dressed as one of his most popular characters — a
glamorous, gorgeous woman. It was quite a funny experience chatting to him while he was dressed that way.
We exchanged phone numbers. Aming is quite happy to do an interview with KGRE at a later date so we will keep
him to that promise. That interview should be fun for sure. During the next hour or so I was introduced to
many off the cast members including Sogi and Indra.
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I also watched rehearsals for that night's taping of the program. That was a very interesting experience. Extravaganza rehearsals
are hectic indeed with artists and technical people everywhere. It was somewhat like a party really with music,
laughter and people doing crazy things all the time AND working at the same time. Just before 8pm Tantri took
me to the audience area to get a good seat. Soon after that the evening's audience came in and took up their
places. It was probably 8.30pm before taping got underway. I stayed until around 10.00pm and during that time
I probably watched five or six Extravaganza sketches being taped. Then I went back to my hotel. I think
the taping probably went on for another hour or so.
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On Tuesday I visited the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. First visit was to the office of the Cultural Attache,
Fiona Hoggart. Fiona and her team are great supporters of KGRE. They have assisted KGRE with many stories
in the past. The Cultural Section of the Embassy is a very busy unit. One of its roles is to facilitate cultural
exchanges between Indonesia and Australia. Check the June 2007 magazine for full details. I interviewed both
Fiona and her fellow member of staff, Ibu Wati. It was interesting to hear that Ibu Wati has worked at the
Cultural Section for the past 30 years. A real veteran! While at the Embassy I also spent time with Felicity
and Nunik from the Australia Educational International (AEI). We talked about future cooperation between
KGRE and AEI especially in relation to the promotion of Australian Scholarships in Indonesia over the coming
year. After lunch with Fiona at a nearby warung I returned to IALF.
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