Indonesia Council Digest - June 2024
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the forthcoming Asian Studies Association of Australia conference at Curtin University, from 1 to 4 July. Congrats to the organisers who have put together a great program!
As part of the ASAA conference, and with thanks to ASAA for their financial support, Indonesia Council is excited to welcome Dr Aditia Gunawan as our keynote speaker. Aditia is from the National Library of Indonesia and will be speaking on the topic of ‘Exploring Indonesia’s Cultural Heritage through its Ancient Manuscript Traditions’, Tuesday 2 July, 16:30–17:30, in Building 213, Room 202.137, Curtin University, Perth. You can learn more about him in our Meet our Members section.
We will also be running our 2024 AGM at the ASAA conference, followed by dinner for those attending in person. More details, and to register, below. The keynote and AGM will be held in the same room, and dinner is a short (10 minutes) walk from the venue.
On a related note: you will have received an email regarding nominations for positions on the Indonesia Council Executive Committee. This is part of the process of formally establishing Indonesia Council, and is a requirement of our Constitution. Nominations closed 16th June. If necessary – that is, if we receive more than one nomination for a position – we will go to a ballot. Note that only current financial members (including “no fee” student members”) of IC have voting rights. Results will be announced at the AGM.
Any questions, or to share news and publications, please be in touch: iclistdata@gmail.com
What’s happening
Indonesia Council 2024 Annual General Meeting
Tuesday 2 July 2024, 17:30-18:30 AWST (19:30-20:30 AEST)
In-person attendance: Building 213, Room 202.137, Curtin University, Perth
Online attendance: Click here to register for the Zoom meeting. Registration is essential if you are to receive the Zoom link.
If you intend to attend the IC AGM, we encourage you to join IC as a member. Only members have voting rights.
Indonesia Council dinner at the ASAA conference
Tuesday 2 July 18:45-20:45 AWST
In-person only: La Vita Cafe & Restaurant, Beazley Avenue Bentley, WA 6102 Australia
Registration is essential – please click here to let us know if you are coming.
Come join us for an evening of delicious Italian cuisine and great company at La Vita Cafe & Restaurant. This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to connect with fellow members of the Indonesia Council and enjoy a night of networking and fun. Don't miss out on this exclusive dinner event - RSVP now to secure your spot!
Attendees are responsible for paying for their own food and beverages. All chicken, beef and lamb is HALAL. Vegetarian options are also available. To see the menu, visit: lavitaristoranteonline.com.au
Other Cool stuff
Friends in Melbourne won’t want to miss this wayang kulit performance by Melbourne Community Gamelan and dhalang (and former Meet our Member!) Helen Pausacker. Ancient Stories: Shadows, Puppets and Gongs will be performed at Gasworks Arts Park on 1 August (three performances).
Indonesia Council Open Conference
Do be sure to attend our AGM for an update on ICOC 2025!
Vale
We pay tribute to Adrian Horridge FRS, former Professor of Behavioural Biology at the Australian National University 1969-1993 but also known for his research and publications on the traditional sailing prahus of Indonesia.
Adrian died in hospital in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, on 30 April aged 96, after working and publishing in his primary field of invertebrate neurophysiology right up until the illnesses of the last few months of his life.
An informal memorial gathering of family, friends and colleagues will be held at his home in Yarralumla, Canberra, this coming Saturday, 22 June. Please send RSVP and any condolence or tribute messages to Adrian's daughter Allison Lattimore Horridge: ali.mary58 [at] gmail.com.
Adrian has bequeathed his Indonesian archive including fieldwork photography, research library, maps, prahu models and boat-building tools to the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Jeffrey Mellefont has been preparing and cataloguing these for their accession into the collections of that museum. You can read about this request in these two articles: Indonesian Prahus: Snapshot of an ancient maritime tradition and Beach Builders: The famous shipwrights of Sulawesi.
Publications
Louisa Field and colleagues wrote an excellent open access article that examines the four “priority” Asian languages, including Indonesian, in Australian schools: ‘Prioritized but declining: an analysis of student participation in Asian languages courses in secondary school 2001–2021’, published in Curriculum Perspectives.
Membership
All the cool folks are signing up to become members of Indonesia Council – and you can too! Paid membership allows us to cover our modest operating costs and to support keynote speakers at the biennial ASAA conferences. It also provides added benefits for you, including eligibility for:
Biennial Indonesia Council Early Career Book Prize
Dedicated postgraduate events and workshops
Special members-only newsletters
Other events, activities and subsidies as suggested by you