How have Sister City relationship between Ambon and Darwin remained strong for almost three decades?

By Jherry Matahelumual
Even though Ambon is only 600 miles away from Darwin or at least 72 hours sailing on a good day from Darwin Harbour, geography may be only a minor reason why both cities are close. In terms of time, Darwin is less than two-and-a-half hours away on charter flight from Ambon, this is faster than flying to other capital cities in Indonesia or Australia, yet this of itself is not the explanation, nor is the similarity between our climates a sufficient explanation. What has truly stabilised the cooperation over the years is the shared remarkable history and community-to-community links.
The first official Sister Cities interaction was recognised in October 1988 when Darwin Lord Mayor Alec Fong Lim led a delegation of 21 persons to Ambon to sign a Letter of Intent. A year later the Mayor of Ambon, Mr Dicky Wattimena reciprocated by visiting Darwin along with a more than 50-member delegation. This was the biggest Local Government delegation to Darwin ever. During this reciprocal visit both mayors signed a proclamation of Sister City Cooperation on 21st July 1989. Both cities recognized the mutual benefit of cooperation through the promotion of economic, scientific, social and cultural sectors.
However, tight bonds between the two peoples had started much earlier. It began during WWII when the Australian Government deployed 1,131 soldiers to Abon to help secure the air strip and harbour sadly, only 352 of the soldiers survived the war against the Japanese occupancy in December 1942. Many of these soldiers became the Prisoners of the War (POW) and were only freed on 10th September 1945.
According to Max Gilbert – a veteran of 2/21st Battalion who was one of the POW’s in Ambon the Australians soldiers were outnumbered by Japanese Soldiers and this led to their being captured.
Gilbert told ABC News on his 30th August 2015 visit to Darwin to attend 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Gulf Force, at Darwin Cenotaph. “…Yet Ambon was among the bloodiest of Japanese POW Camps, starving, executions and disease like beriberi were common”
The following month a Commemoration was similarly held in Ambon on 10th September 2016 at the Commonwealth War Cemetery attended by Lord Mayor of Darwin, Ms Katrina Fong Lim and the Indonesian Consul to the Northern Territory Mr Andre Omer Siregar with other delegates from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and members of Gulf Force Association marking the seventy years passing.
The Commonwealth War Cemetery in Kapahaha Village (only a few minutes for the Ambon CBD) is the final resting place for 1,131 Australian soldiers from the WWI and WWII, among them 694 Australians Soldiers of 2/21st Battalion Gulf Force. In 1841 this four-acre area was the prison camp. History has demonstrated that during the war the Ambonese people that lived in the surrounding area helped by secretly providing food and water to the POW’s.
Dr Bredley Armstrong (Australian Embassy in Jakarta) thanked the Government of City of Ambon and its people for looking after the Commonwealth War Cemetery saying “the people of Maluku have helped us and (we) thank them.”

In 1976, thirteen years before the Proclamation of the two cities was signed; an opportunity to visit Ambon in the Spice Islands was taken up by a Darwin Radio technician. This marked the beginning of the now Annual Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race when six yachts started their downwind 600-mile race. This has become an annual event for many years now, not only sailed by Australians but also international yachters have come to enjoy the warm hospitality and friendliness of Ambonese people and the scenic beauty and cultural diversity.
“Over the years many yachters and skippers have enjoyed their time in Ambon interacting with locals and experiencing the diverse culture”. Many yachters are not only from Darwin but also from other cities in Australia and other countries such as New Zealand and European Countries” said Rick Setter skipper and former chairman of Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race. Ambon becomes the gate to visit many Indonesian Islands by international skippers.
The Ambonese people, and especially the people who are living on the Amahusu Village at the finish line of the race have benefited from these international visitors. It has certainly grown the local economy selling food, drinks and souvenirs, hiring water taxis for transport from the yachts to the jetty and for tour packages in and around Ambon Island. Some locals also formed a Community Club namely Amahusu Sailing, who help in providing houses as Home Stays to accommodate yachters during the event.
Through many cultural of the activities, both formal and informal receptions and functions, the Committee of Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race has built good connections with a local school near the finish line area. Since 2013 committee members visited the schools with other yachters and provided the school with English books and stationary and in return the school prepares a welcome ceremony and entertains its visitors with Ambonese folk songs.
Other visitors to Ambon such as in 2016, Alderman Robyn Knox – representing City of Darwin said that it was an overwhelming experience to meet with young Ambonese to share happiness with them. “To me it was the highlight of the trip the real connection and bonds between the Ambonese and Darwinites” said Alderman Knox.
In order to ensure that this relationship could continue both ways the Cities formed a Sister City Community Committee, or Sister City Advisory Group by inviting locals or interested parties to be Community Representatives. With Community Representatives coming from varied backgrounds and professions they have one united goal; that is to strengthening person to person linkages. In fact, the diversity of the committee has created a magnificent team utilising every-ones’ skills and roles.
The committee consists of Community Representatives and Council under the supervision of a Cultural Partnership Officer with the Indonesian Consulate in Darwin giving birth to many outstanding ideas and programs. One of the most prominent programs is the Students and Teacher Exchange Programs between SMA N 5 of Ambon and Kormilda College of Darwin. This initiative was put forward by Ambon Sister City Community Committee in Darwin with funds being allocated towards two students and one teacher from Ambon enabled to study at Kormilda College for a few weeks.
The first group arrived from Ambon in 2011 and were hosted by Kormilda College for three weeks. In 2014 this became a reciprocal program mutually funded by both cities the Indonesian Consulate with a fruitful Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) established between both Darwin and Ambon schools when both Mayors and Principals signed the MoU in 2015.

The Indonesian Consul in Darwin – Andre Omer Siregar has been pleased to see the progress of the education link between Ambon and Darwin. “Cooperation that bonds between Kormilda College and SMAN 5 has proven that people to people relation between two countries is deep and meaningful” stated Consul Siregar on a meeting with Principal of Kormilda College and representative from DSSCC in 2015. Consul Siregar also mentioned that he will be more than just a keen to see more of interaction between the two schools through its exchange program. On many occasions, the students and teachers have expressed their gratefulness for taking part on this program. “I am very happy to be selected as an exchange student from Ambon to study at Kormilda College, I would like to use this opportunity to improve my English Proficiency and to exchange culture and knowledge with my Australian friends”, said Kevin Nitalessy – Exchange Student 2016.
For Kormilda College, it is a great opportunity to improve their Indonesian Proficiency and to learn Indonesian Culture and interact with Indonesian friends. “It was a great, rewarding experience to put our language skills to the test, we would have been really stuck without that. We attended classes at the school, most of them all in Indonesian – however when it came to English classes we were able to help the teacher with the lessons – everyone enjoyed that!” said Jarrod who visited Ambon in 2014.
Currently there are 18 alumni consisting of 12 students and 6 six teachers from SMA N 5 Ambon and 9 alumni of 6 students and 3 teachers from Kormilda College. This has become a great example of remarkable bonds between the two peoples of the both cities. The numbers are still growing.
The brief history outlined above goes a long way toward explaining the reason for the longstanding relationship between our two cities including the sharing of unforgettable memories and the people-to-people links. Cultural differences are not challenges but opportunities for the two communities to learn, and to understand each other. This has strengthened the sisterhood for almost three decades and beyond.
(The writer is a staff of the Indonesian Consulate in Darwin and actively involve as a Community Representative of Ambon Sister City Sub-Committee) (Harmony and Tolerance)

Harmony and Tolerance

Harmony and tolerance can be a hot topic in Indonesia – a country that accepts six different religious beliefs. Indonesia is not only rich with with cultural differences but also the personal belief between oneself and his/her God. Well, harmony and tolerance has always been a big deal in some places where one religion has majority followers and the rest are minorities.

However, in Maluku Province there are two majors religions which are Christian and Islam and in terms of the number of followers they are balance (50:50). Although religions came into exist since they were brought by the Dutch missioners and Arabian traders dynamism had been part of the everyday living of all Mollucas. The relationship between Pela (bonds between two groups of village) or Gandong (bonds between brothers/sisters).

These forms of system were used since the missioner and traders spread out the doctrine and teachings. Pela and Gandong have vital roles in bringing two communities together no matter what belief one group has. The village which has this special bond with the other village will do ANYTHING to assist with their economic, belief, social life, culture or everyday needs and anything else, you name it. Occasionally, there is a celebration or ceremonies to repeat the oath to live for each other in good or bad times.

Gandong is even much closer relationship between to clans. For example one particular clan name such as “Matahelumual” which is from the village of Tioum (in Saparua Island) can be Christian are brothers with “Matahelumual” clan from the village of Sirsori who are Islam.  The clan has been there long time before religions “divided” the relationship.

Over the name, one village or one clan came and help others. For example when a Christian community is building a church the Moslem community help or vice versa when Muslim community is building a mosque the Christian community helps. This is a fundamental example on how both peoples live as one as brothers and sisters.

Interpreter

If you can remember when you were faced with a deadly question as kids such as “What will you be when you grow up?” I guess you might answer “I will be a doctor or a teacher” and if you come from a particular religious community you might answer “I will be a priest or a nun”, but if you were cool kids you might say “Oh I want to be a pilot or an astronaut”. As young children, we had to go through this question and because it was quite popular, this idea became a popular song story which was sang by a puppet doll Susan, “Kalau gede aku mau jadi dokter” or literary means when I am grown up I will be a doctor. In my case, I might had picked one of those profession above. But, really when you grow up you know yourself better and you will use your skills for a different jobs.

Well, I have never heard that someone wants to be an interpreter when being asked. Either this may not be a full time job or this does not consider as an occupational. Friend of mind who is working part time as an interpreter always repeat that you will never do it as a full time job but only a side job. My supervisor at an interpreting agency said that it is good to contribute your skills in the world of interpretation but don’t lean whole your dream on it because it will never be a full time work for anyone, instead do it in your spare time. So, perhaps interpreters cannot be listed as an occupation where you can choose and live by it.

Anyway, other people may say differently and there might be full time interpreters out there such as people who are working in the UN or perhaps people who run interpreting businesses to be interpreters. This is only the way I think which is based on my own personal views an experience. I fell in love in this “job” when I saw who later become a good friend, Tirza, helping non-Indonesian speaking worshipers at a local Indonesian speaking church to understand what the priest said. Yeah, I meant she interpreted from Indonesian to English and sometimes vice versa. That was the first time I thought that WOW being able to master that skill is really cool.

While working at the Indonesian representation office in Darwin you must have exellent speaking and writing skills both in English and Indonesian. Sometimes you even need to assist Indonesian Visitors with their language barriers. Yes, I have assisted a few if not many occasions for working purposes or personal purposes. While also now assisting an Indonesian Church as one of a regular interpreters. However, as much as I love interpreting and keep trying to master that skills, it may not be my full time job and most of it are based on voluntary basis. To me because I love what I am doing, I will put my desire of helping people and gaining more experience first when I am asked and everything else comes after.

I am quite lucky that I am working to my boss who has an excellent interpreting skills who I wish one day I can proof to be a great one like him. However, I know that you will need to have many experiences for you to master the skills. It is not easy and I mean not easy at all to be a mouth piece of someone where you will be able to repeat the same thing of what non-English speaking person said. It takes courage and time to do that but also discipline.

I think if I knew what I really wanted to be since I was a child I would have more experience that what I have now. But, it’s never too late to learn and focus on what you really like. I am quite happy that I have people around me who I can aspire and look at as good sample. Although many think that this will not be a full time work, but as long as I enjoy it when I am doing it and that is what matters.

Well, if you are reading this and an interpreter let me know what your experience is and if you are something else, I am sure that you will do what you enjoy. (jm)

Identity

“Do what you think it is BEST for you”

I have never imagined that I can spend 6 years now and still going in one of the best country in the world. Yes, Australia’s capital city of Darwin has been my second home and I enjoy living and working here. It started when I made proud not only the school community but also my family when I was selected to represent Maluku Province to study at a public high school in Darwin on an exchange program. To me this was a great achievement as being one out of two students who were selected on tests basis among many if not a lot of high schools students of one province. I was from a family where English is a foreign language and I mean a foreign at all where we could possibly understand either “yes” or “no” while one of the important skills you should have to be selected in this program was an excellent English Language skill both in spoken and written. But I nailed it. This might sound a little bit exaggerated but I was the only one speaking English at home and sometimes I thought I was a little weird when I started jokingly speaking with mom or dad in that “foreign” language. To some people around the suburbs where I lived, you might be considered as a fool or bizarre or pride too much  when you wanted to practice it. Some people were then discouraged by the community opinions but luckily to me I thought that it was best for me to practice and would use it in the future despite all the critiques. Thankfully,   I got my parents especially my mom who once said and I quote “Do what you think it is best for you”. Oh mom, I have no idea how much I must thank you now for creating me as who I am now.

Well, then I spent almost five months staying in Darwin and attending Darwin High School as a complete stranger. I thought that I could communicate just well with Australians but I was wrong. I was struggling with the language. I was not able to share my ideas and at the same time to absorb the information. I couldn’t even count how many times I had to say “pardon” or “sorry” or “repeat again” on my conversations I involved in. But, my inability to communicate in English well did not put me down, as some stages, yes, but I gained my self-confident again and kept trying to follow the flow. I stayed with an Australian family who supported me in many ways, especially Alex who later when I completed the program and left the country, I addressed her also as Mom on many of my emails sent from Indonesia. The support was also coming from many Indonesian diaspora living in Darwin and friends from a local church. It was wonderful that I met Thien who I addressed as “Oma” or grandma. She was so wonderfully supporting me in many ways and helping me to adjust myself with the cultural differences. To me it was a blessing knowing her.

I returned to Ambon after completing the program and graduated from high school a year later in 2016. I was awarded with  full scholarships from two private foundations both were Tahija Foundation and Trisakti Foundation and studied at an Institute of Tourism in Jakarta. It was a different situation living and studying in Jakarta for being a local Ambonese. Although as a country boy and you needed to adjusted yourself to live in a big city, I was not homesick at all because this was not my first time living apart from family and survived. It was still very hard and I think still is difficult to me when I have to celebrate important occasions such as Christmas, Easter or birthdays or other occasions where you needed to be with your family most. But remembering what my mom said has become a motivation to always find the best to go through many feelings.

Well, through a few years of studying and living in Jakarta while still making contact with family in Ambon and especially friends in Darwin, I was so moved to challenge myself to seek for an opportunity to do work experience again in Darwin. After many calls and correspondences with the help from friends in Darwin, I secured a place at the Indonesian Consulate in Darwin where I could learn and work as a trainee. It went well for about three months with an additional two weeks of an extension because I was needed to assist with one of the Consulate programs. It was good that I could reconnect with friends who I met when I first time visiting Darwin as an exchange student. I was lucky that I do what I think I believe and I thank you Mom for planting this motto in me.

I left the country for the second time with new experience and graduated from the institute only a few months later. Then I thought that working in an Indonesian Office in overseas was really cool especially in Darwin. It was really cool not only because I have been there twice and have making good friends with some people but also because Darwin has special connection with Ambon under a sister city cooperation. I thought It was just a perfect place for me to be and to contribute my skills. But, I was questioning myself immensely whether someone with a tourism background like me can work in a diplomatic mission? And I know that there was very tight competitions to be able to secure a position in a respected offices to represent the country. But I remember what I was reminded since I was young that you do what you think it is best for you.

I was in one of the hotel rooms in the city of Amman – Jordan where I was assisting my very good friend at a Paralympic table tennis championship, I received a phone call from Bapak Arvinanto (Pak Anto) who was working at the Indonesian Consulate as the Head of Chancery that there is a vacant position in Darwin Consulate and would like me to apply for it through the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As soon as I return to Jakarta, I started applying for a position as a full time employee and after the whole long process I finally succeeded. It was like a dream came true, a place where I thought I was not good enough to be. The feelings were in-explainable and one thing I know I made my mom proud and many people who have gone through the journey with me.

I landed in Darwin for the third time in 2010 and has been working since then. To look back onto my journey, I think everything happened for a reason and it was like a puzzle where I had to complete it. I wouldn’t be able to match every piece if I only didn’t believe at myself or when I gave up on keep trying. I don’t think that this is the end of it and I even think that the puzzle is not completed yet. Whatever will come ahead I would like to walk it with big heart and to do what I think it is BEST for you. 🙂  (jm)