Indonesian Heritage Society has new head
JAKARTA (JP): Members of the Indonesian Heritage Society, a volunteer organization here, bid farewell to chairwoman Mary de Tray on Thursday and greeted Liz Oley, who replaces De Tray.
Founded nearly 30 years ago as Ganesha Volunteers, the Indonesian Heritage Society is an organization of volunteers from around the world who assist Jakarta's museums, particularly the National Museum, and promote public appreciation of Indonesia's cultural heritage.
"My greatest debt of gratitude is to the people of Indonesia who created the tremendous wealth of culture that I have come to know, at least a bit, and to love. Indonesia's cultural heritage has opened up new vistas for me, vistas that I will carry with me wherever I go," said De Tray, who is leaving the country this Friday.
She became a member of the society in 1994 following the appointment of her husband, Dennis de Tray, as country director for the World Bank here. She was appointed the society's chairwoman in 1997.
The society this year has 445 members from 32 different nationalities. Indonesians are the largest group, with 72 participating members.
The group's many activities include helping with the publication of the National Museum's catalog, translating archival records, giving museum tours, and teaching English and other languages to the museum staff.
"Explorers" is one of the society's most popular activities, especially among newcomers to the city. Conducted one morning every week, participants meet in small groups to visit places of historic and cultural interest in Jakarta and surrounding areas.
The sites include Jakarta's many museums, notable mosques, churches and temples, arts centers, traditional markets, historical cemeteries, gardens and home-based industries, such as jamu (traditional herb) making and production of tempe (tempeh) and tahu (tofu).
Lately, the explorers have also expanded their destinations to include sites of interest outside of the city, such as in Puncak, Bogor, Banten, Ciampea and Plered, all in West Java.
And in its annual meeting Thursday, the society launched a new edition of The Jakarta Explorer, a book compiled from research done by the participants based on their many site visits. The book, written in English, was first published in 1991.
Mary said it took a considerable amount of time to update the book because of tremendous changes within the city.
"Many of the sites had to be revisited and it was inevitable that enthusiasm for the project resulted in the addition of many locations," she said.
The new 325-page book also includes detailed information of the various areas in the city -- from the old port of Sunda Kelapa, tempeh factories at Mampang Prapatan to the botanical gardens in Bogor -- along with new maps and updated photographs. (ste)