Managing Director of Villa and Hut, Franz Madlener; Freehills’
Solicitor, Joel Backwell; respected musician, Ki Poedijono;
long-serving teacher in Indonesian, Vivian Wilson and Rip Curl’s
International Communications Manager, Dane Sharp, share their
experiences with Indonesia.
Franz Madlener - Managing Director, Villa and Hut
Joel Backwell – Solicitor, Freehills
Ki Poedijono - Respected Musician
Vivian Wilson - Indonesian Language Teacher
Dane Sharp - International Communications Manager, Rip Curl
Franz Madlener- Managing Director, Villa and Hut
The unique concept of Villa & Hut Handcrafted Homewear began in
Melbourne, Australia in 1999, after a trip to Indonesia provided the
inspiration to founder of the retail chain, Franz Madlener.
With an investment of just $12,000 at that time, Madlener imported his
first container of handcrafted goods and launched Villa and Hut at
Melbourne’s The Glen shopping centre.
The Villa & Hut brand now spans across the east coast of Australia,
with stores in Melbourne, Brisbane & Sydney, as well as stores in
the UK, Ireland, and Bali.
As one of the owners of Villa & Hut, Madlener prides himself in
dealing directly with crafts people and villages in Indonesia ensuring
fair trade, fair prices and first rate quality.
"Our move to address community needs for sustainable employment in
Indonesia dovetails nicely with 'western' consumers' desires for unique
pieces with character and heritage" says Madlener. "That's why I
describe our stores 'as close as you can get to a tropical island
without hopping on a plane'.
Villa & Hut has a holistic approach to the welfare of village
families and craftsmen who create the individual handicraft &
furniture pieces for the stores.
The timbers used in all these products comes from two sources. Most of
the timber is predominantly reclaimed or recycled, whilst some is
purpose grown in timber plantations, which have been established around
specifically for the wholesale timber market.
Whether it be the use of recycled timbers for its furniture, natural
fibres for its lamps or placemats, hand woven fabrics for its cushions
or floor mats, or sculptured ceramics and pottery made in the same
traditional ways as handed down over the centuries, every item meets
the highest standards achievable in both quality and ethical commerce
& trade.
"Our approach ensures there's never any illegal logging, which some
indulge in to avoid the tax that would otherwise double production
costs, but is put back into reforest management" says Madlener.
Supplemented by online ‘v store’ sales, the bridal registry service and
the fit out of hotels, resports and villas across Australia, Villa and
Hut’s annual turnover has trebled over the past four years.
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Joel Backwell – Solicitor, Freehills
My first real encounter with Indonesia
came in 1996 when I was fortunate enough to participate in an exchange program
to Bandung, studying
and living with a local Sundanese family. During the three months I lived with
my host family, I was able to see a part of Indonesia rarely seen by tourists.
I took part in weddings, fasted during Ramadan, celebrated Lebaran, learned how
to ride a motorbike and cooked tasty local dishes with my Ibu, including my
favourite ayam bakar (baked, spicy
chicken). As a 15 year old, all of these things left a lasting impression. But
more than anything, it was the friendliness of those who accepted me into their
family, their community and their society, which has made me return to Indonesia time
and time again.
Over the years I have visited many parts of Indonesia, in
many different capacities. I have travelled the length of Sulawesi, taught
English in Yogyakarta, built public amenities in a fishing village in Lampung,
worked for gas companies in Jakarta and returned
“home” to Bandung
for each of my host brothers’ weddings. Each experience has provided me insights
into the diversity and richness of Indonesian culture. Despites its many
dialects, customs and even religions, Indonesia continually demonstrates the
importance of tolerance and understanding, providing an important lesson for
our own, multicultural society.
In terms of trade, tourism and education, the ties between Australia and
its largest neighbour run deep. Having worked with oil & gas companies
through Freehills, I have had first-hand contact with this inter-dependence. As
Indonesia
continues to strengthen its economic, political and legal institutions,
Australian companies are in a great position to provide assistance and build
relationships. It is no surprise that events such as Festival Indonesia are so
strong in Melbourne.
Thousands of Indonesian students study in Victoria’s
capital and thousands more Australians study Indonesian in Victoria’s schools. Like these and many others
who currently work, study or travel between Australia
and Indonesia,
I look forward to the growing partnership between our two countries.
BIO
Joel Backwell grew up in Geelong,
a region strongly connected to Indonesia,
with the majority of schools in the area offering Indonesian to students. Having
completed his schooling, Joel moved to Melbourne
to study Arts/Law at Monash
University, where he majored
in Indonesian language, history and politics. As part of his studies, Joel
completed one semester at Gadjah Mada University
in Yogyakarta, studying Islamic Law, Customary
Law and Indonesian political systems. In 2002, he conducted field research for
his honours thesis on human rights NGOs in Indonesia. Joel now works at
Freehills, as a solicitor in their Banking & Projects and Energy &
Resources departments. His work constantly takes him back to Indonesia, as well as other countries in the
region, including Singapore
and the Philippines.
Joel is currently working on a number of matters out of Jakarta, where Freehills has its associate
office Soemadipradja & Taher.
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Ki Poedijono
Poedijono is a well-known and highly respected musician, puppeteer, composer and dancer and a living legend in bringing the cultural richness of Indonesia to the Australian community.
Every Monday and Tuesday for the past twenty years Poedijono has gathered together groups of local music enthusiasts - mainly of Australian origin - at Melbourne University’s Parkville campus and the Indonesian Consulate in Melbourne to learn and perform the gamelan.
Gamelan is the ancient Indonesian orchestra featuring an amazing array of instruments from xylophones, drums, and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. The set of instruments is a distinct entity, built and tuned to stay together. It requires an orchestra of 20 members.
Ki Poedijono (”Ki” being an honourific title) has received an OAM for his services to promoting Indonesian culture in Australia and more recently received the Indonesian equivalent from the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
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Vivian Wilson - Indonesian Language Teacher
 In
the late ‘60’s when I chose to study the Indonesian language there was
a great deal of interest in our nearest neighbour. My Indonesian method
tutor in Dip Ed, Hendy Hendrata was a wonderful ambassador for his
country. I was fortunate to inherit his love of the language, country
and its people, enjoying a most rewarding career teaching Indonesian at
Camberwell Grammar School for more than thirty years
Since my first visit to Indonesia in 1970 when westerners were still a
novelty in the more remote areas of Java and Bali, much has changed.
Where environmental practices were unknown, recycling is now standard
and sustainable practices increasingly prevalent. While the traditional
stalls once lining the narrow streets of Kuta and Legian have been
replaced by modern shopping complexes, bargains still abound. Some
things don’t change such as the beauty of the country and its people.
A wide smile and a great sense of humour is characteristic of my
Indonesian friends, colleagues and the general population. An almost
irrepressible spirit and reverence for life, despite any hardships, is
deeply moving.
The hospitality of Indonesians and their willingness to share their
all, or to invite you into their home on first acquaintance is
legendary. Or perhaps to a feast, a party or a wedding, no matter that
you don’t know the bride or groom. The more the merrier and their
generosity knows no bounds. This is an aspect noted by many of my
students who have accompanied me on regular trips to the country I
consider to be my second home. Many a spontaneous volleyball or soccer
match has forged links between the two cultures on these trips, and my
students relished their time at local Indonesian schools. Indonesians
always appreciate any effort to use Bahasa and always provided huge
encouragement for the boys’ efforts.
Organised tours have their value, yet it is the spontaneous activities
which give the most pleasure - provided it’s not an invitation to an
academy of art which turns out to be a cousin’s brother’s batik shop
looking for a quick sale!!! Bandung (for a pleasant cooler mountain
environment) Yogyakarta (the cultural heart of Java), Mt Bromo (for a
spectacular sunrise) Lake Toba (peace and serenity, an unchanged life
style) and TanaToraja in Sulawesi (unique traditions and way of life)
are the highlights for me.
Teaching has provided an opportunity to share my passion for Indonesia
with Australian youth and to create an awareness of the fascinating and
varied traditions, customs and religions of a country consisting of
over 200 million people, 13,000 islands and over 100 languages. I have
no personal hesitation in visiting Indonesia – the more often the
better. England was not put off limits after the London bombing,
America was not put off limits after Sep 11, why then should Indonesia
remain on the DEFAT radar 4-5 years post Bali? There is no place in the
world that can claim immunity from terrorism, and to miss the
opportunity to visit this most beautiful of countries, its cultural
richness, booming industry and its wonderful people is to be deprived!
Dane Sharp - International Communication Manager, Rip Curl
Why Surf Indonesia?
 Rip Curl Pro Search returned to 'somewhere in Indonesia'!
This year the Rip Curl Pro Search returned to Indonesia, where surfers first discovered The Search back in the 1970s...
"The world is a much smaller place now and there have been many, many
new discoveries, but Indonesia is still as magic and mysterious for
surfers today as it was back then" according to Rip Curl’s Dane Sharp.
"Exotic experiences and pumping surf. That is what we AND our
competitors hope for and we weren't disappointed..."
Pumping 6-8ft waves helped the ‘somewhere in Indonesia’ 2008 Rip Curl
Pro Search off to an exciting start, before Bruce Irons (HAW) defeated
fellow finalist Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) to claim the 2008 Rip Curl Pro
Search in rifling four-foot (1.5 metre) lefthanders.
“One of my goals when I joined the Tour was to win an event and I
wasn’t sure if it was going to happen since I’ll be stepping away after
this season,” Irons said. “But the waves pumped this event! This is
what the Dream Tour should be like all the time.” Bruce scored 17.66 to
win the grand final.
According to Lonely Planet, with its dizzying array of coastlines and
beaches, Indonesia is a surfing mecca. For those who are not quite up
to Rip Curl Pro form, Indonesia has breaks for every one, from
beginners up. Lonely Planet advices that the most obvious and easiest
place to catch a wave is Bali, where Ulu Watu on the west coast serves
up three left-handers. Nearby, Dreamland is the next best thing, and
Nusa Lembongan has reached legendary status on the circuit. Kuta and
Legian lured avid surfers long before the beaches were discovered by
the crowds, and the waves remain a constant.
The hardy test their mettle at Lombok’s Desert Point and then skip over
to Sumbawa for feisty tubes near Maluk. If you’re looking to escape the
crowds, south-central Sumba offers good waves at Tarimbang. Sumba’s
surf capital, however, is Baing.
Sumatra also has a few treats up its coastal sleeves, the most famous
of which is Pulau Nias. Also on Sumatra, the sublime Mentawai Islands
are gaining popularity for their year-round swells, and a number of
surf charters are beginning to sail here.
Then there’s Java, with the world-class G-Land inside Alas Purwo
National Park, and superlative reef breaks near Pelabuhan Ratu while
beginners can find their balance on the friendly surf at Batu Karas.
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