Australian Alumni Gala Dinner in Yogyakarta: Celebrating 70 years of Australian Scholarships in Indonesia

Continuing its year-long program to mark 70 years of Australian scholarships in Indonesia, the Australian Embassy took the celebrations to Yogyakarta on Friday, hosting an Alumni Gala Dinner at the Royal Ambarrukmo Hotel.

More than 250 Yogyakarta-based Australian alumni, and members of the Indonesia-Australia youth organisation CAUSINDY, attended the Gala to mark 70 years since the first cohort of Colombo Plan scholarship recipients from Indonesia arrived in Australia. 

“Education and people-to-people links are at the centre of the Australia-Yogyakarta relationship. Our alumni exemplify the remarkable achievements possible with a world-class Australian education. We recognise and champion their contributions to Indonesia and the world,” said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Ms Penny Williams PSM.

Australia's scholarship program, now called the Australia Awards, is the longest-running foreign scholarship program in Indonesia. For seven decades, Australia has partnered with Indonesia to invest in human capital development, respond to social and economic development priorities, and create and maintain enduring ties between Australia and Indonesia.

The Yogyakarta Alumni Gala Dinner featured MCs Desideria Murti and Rahmat Idris, and musical performances by Dian Mega Safitri and Yogyakarta-based band Lastarya.

As part of the year-long campaign to celebrate this milestone, the Australian Embassy and Consulates-General in Indonesia are hosting gala dinners and other exciting events across Indonesia.

Australia is one of the most popular overseas study destinations for Indonesian students, with around 20,000 enrolments each year. Australia has more than 200,000 alumni in Indonesia, including senior government and business leaders. Alumni are crucial in deepening cooperation between Australia and Indonesia to advance mutual security and prosperity.

The original media release was published on the Australian Embassy’s website.