Soldiers, volunteers, NGOs, businesspeople, have been part of the

Soldiers, volunteers, NGOs, businesspeople, have been part of the
Australian community in Indonesia

Abdul Khalik
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Relations between the peoples of Australia and Indonesia stretch
back hundreds of years to the time when fishermen from Makassar
in South Sulawesi traveled to northern Australia in search of sea
cucumbers. But records suggest that it was not until World War II
that an Australian community was first established in Indonesia.

It was the arrival of the Australian troops as part of the
allied forces during the war, that marked the beginning of the
temporary settlement of Australians.

The ties, however, began during Japanese rule in the 1940s.
After the collapse of the resistance in the Netherlands' East
Indies to the Japanese, thousands of Australian prisoners-of-war
found themselves working alongside Indonesian romusha or forced
laborers in places such as Singapore and Thailand.

By the end of the war there were some 50,000 Australian
soldiers in Indonesia, most of whom had been engaged in campaigns
in Kalimantan and northern Maluku against the Japanese.

Historian Anthony Reid noted that they were well-remembered in
eastern Indonesia, and in late 1945, one of the founders of the
Indonesian Republic, Sutan Syahrir, was quoted by the Sydney
Morning Herald as saying that the Australians understood
Indonesians better than Europeans did, given their support for
Indonesia's independence.

Most Australians opposed Dutch colonialism and sympathized
with Indonesia's struggle for independence. Australian workers
rallied to the aid of the new republic, embargoing Dutch
supplies, ammunition and troops.

The second pioneers of the Australian community here were the
volunteers who came to share their skills in education, to help
fill the gap left by departing Dutch teachers.

At an international students conference in Bombay, India, in
1950, the Indonesian delegation invited Australian university
graduates to make their expertise available, and hoped that the
graduates would live and work alongside Indonesian colleagues,
"deliberately crossing the barriers of expatriate life in favor
of solidarity", historian Peter Britton wrote.

Britton noted that the invitation inspired a group of people
at the University of Melbourne, who said that they were willing
to be paid the same as their Indonesian counterparts, whilst
learning more about the people and their lives.

That same year, renowned Indonesianist Herbert Feith, Britton
added, was the first Australian volunteer who sailed to Jakarta
to work as a translator with the ministry of information. Feith's
assignment marked the beginning of Australia's international
volunteer program, now known as Australian Volunteers
International. Thousands of volunteers have come to Indonesia
since. Feith, a long-time lecturer at Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta, is fondly remembered not only in academic circles,
but also among Yogyakarta's students and locals.

Warm relations between the people of the two countries were
enhanced by the fact that the Australian government helped the
fledgling nation's struggle for international recognition of its
independence. Australia became Indonesia's nominee on the UN Good
Offices Committee set up to mediate conflict with the
Netherlands. Historians noted that from 1947 to 1949, the
critical period of Indonesia's struggle, Australia became the
most prominent diplomatic protagonist of the Indonesian
government.

Throughout the 1950s and the first half of 1960s, Sukarno's
campaign for Papua's inclusion in Indonesian territory, and the
period of "confrontation" with Malaysia, slowed down official
relations, also affecting people-to-people relations.

Although both countries experienced ups and downs in
diplomatic ties under second president Soeharto, relations in the
business and social fields as well as cultural life continued to
flourish after 1966, supported by Indonesia's growing economy,

Thousands of professionals and businesspeople, along with
their families, started to come to live in Indonesia, mostly in
Jakarta and Bali. It was estimated that after the economic crisis
of 1998 around 20,000 Australians remained in Indonesia,
according to the website of the Australian & New Zealand
Association (ANZA). ANZA is just one of many organizations here
which Australians have joined.

ANZA, founded over 30 years ago, holds a mid-year bazaar, a
charity grand ball, and a Christmas bazaar.

To accommodate the community's need for Australian-based
education, the Australian International School (AIS) was founded
in 1996 although students are not restricted to Australians, and
many Australians also attend other international schools here.

In 1989, the Australian government established the Australia
Indonesia Institute to contribute to a more broad-based and
enduring relationship between the two countries.

The institute has many programs, including youth exchange,
fellowships and scholarships.