Soldiers, volunteers, NGOs, businesspeople, have been part of the
\nAustralian community in Indonesia<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Relations between the peoples of Australia and Indonesia stretch
\nback hundreds of years to the time when fishermen from Makassar
\nin South Sulawesi traveled to northern Australia in search of sea
\ncucumbers. But records suggest that it was not until World War II
\nthat an Australian community was first established in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
It was the arrival of the Australian troops as part of the
\nallied forces during the war, that marked the beginning of the
\ntemporary settlement of Australians.<\/p>\n
The ties, however, began during Japanese rule in the 1940s.
\nAfter the collapse of the resistance in the Netherlands' East
\nIndies to the Japanese, thousands of Australian prisoners-of-war
\nfound themselves working alongside Indonesian romusha or forced
\nlaborers in places such as Singapore and Thailand.<\/p>\n
By the end of the war there were some 50,000 Australian
\nsoldiers in Indonesia, most of whom had been engaged in campaigns
\nin Kalimantan and northern Maluku against the Japanese.<\/p>\n
Historian Anthony Reid noted that they were well-remembered in
\neastern Indonesia, and in late 1945, one of the founders of the
\nIndonesian Republic, Sutan Syahrir, was quoted by the Sydney
\nMorning Herald as saying that the Australians understood
\nIndonesians better than Europeans did, given their support for
\nIndonesia's independence.<\/p>\n
Most Australians opposed Dutch colonialism and sympathized
\nwith Indonesia's struggle for independence. Australian workers
\nrallied to the aid of the new republic, embargoing Dutch
\nsupplies, ammunition and troops.<\/p>\n
The second pioneers of the Australian community here were the
\nvolunteers who came to share their skills in education, to help
\nfill the gap left by departing Dutch teachers.<\/p>\n
At an international students conference in Bombay, India, in
\n1950, the Indonesian delegation invited Australian university
\ngraduates to make their expertise available, and hoped that the
\ngraduates would live and work alongside Indonesian colleagues,
\n\"deliberately crossing the barriers of expatriate life in favor
\nof solidarity\", historian Peter Britton wrote.<\/p>\n
Britton noted that the invitation inspired a group of people
\nat the University of Melbourne, who said that they were willing
\nto be paid the same as their Indonesian counterparts, whilst
\nlearning more about the people and their lives.<\/p>\n
That same year, renowned Indonesianist Herbert Feith, Britton
\nadded, was the first Australian volunteer who sailed to Jakarta
\nto work as a translator with the ministry of information. Feith's
\nassignment marked the beginning of Australia's international
\nvolunteer program, now known as Australian Volunteers
\nInternational. Thousands of volunteers have come to Indonesia
\nsince. Feith, a long-time lecturer at Gadjah Mada University in
\nYogyakarta, is fondly remembered not only in academic circles,
\nbut also among Yogyakarta's students and locals.<\/p>\n
Warm relations between the people of the two countries were
\nenhanced by the fact that the Australian government helped the
\nfledgling nation's struggle for international recognition of its
\nindependence. Australia became Indonesia's nominee on the UN Good
\nOffices Committee set up to mediate conflict with the
\nNetherlands. Historians noted that from 1947 to 1949, the
\ncritical period of Indonesia's struggle, Australia became the
\nmost prominent diplomatic protagonist of the Indonesian
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Throughout the 1950s and the first half of 1960s, Sukarno's
\ncampaign for Papua's inclusion in Indonesian territory, and the
\nperiod of \"confrontation\" with Malaysia, slowed down official
\nrelations, also affecting people-to-people relations.<\/p>\n
Although both countries experienced ups and downs in
\ndiplomatic ties under second president Soeharto, relations in the
\nbusiness and social fields as well as cultural life continued to
\nflourish after 1966, supported by Indonesia's growing economy,<\/p>\n
Thousands of professionals and businesspeople, along with
\ntheir families, started to come to live in Indonesia, mostly in
\nJakarta and Bali. It was estimated that after the economic crisis
\nof 1998 around 20,000 Australians remained in Indonesia,
\naccording to the website of the Australian & New Zealand
\nAssociation (ANZA). ANZA is just one of many organizations here
\nwhich Australians have joined.<\/p>\n
ANZA, founded over 30 years ago, holds a mid-year bazaar, a
\ncharity grand ball, and a Christmas bazaar.<\/p>\n
To accommodate the community's need for Australian-based
\neducation, the Australian International School (AIS) was founded
\nin 1996 although students are not restricted to Australians, and
\nmany Australians also attend other international schools here.<\/p>\n
In 1989, the Australian government established the Australia
\nIndonesia Institute to contribute to a more broad-based and
\nenduring relationship between the two countries.<\/p>\n
The institute has many programs, including youth exchange,
\nfellowships and scholarships.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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