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VOInews, Jakarta: The Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, Vedi Kurnia Buana, Fanny Erlita Buana and the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney attended the Indonesia Goes to School (IGtS) activity as well as "Indonesian day" on Tuesday (12/9/2023) at St Mary Star of the Sea College, Sydney.

During the visit, he emphasized the importance of learning Indonesian language and culture between the two countries, as a form of closeness between Indonesia and Australia.

"The students of St Mary Star of the Sea College are part of the future of the relationship between Indonesia and Australia. With the current close bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia and the agreements that have been made by the two countries, it will certainly open up very broad opportunities for the people of the two countries," he said in a statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney received by Indonesia Window here on Wednesday (13/9/2023).

He also expressed his appreciation to schools and teachers who have made Indonesian as one of the subjects of choice and actively promoted the Indonesian language.

On the same occasion, Principal of Saint Mary Star of the Sea College Tony Fitzgerald, reminded the students that they are not just citizens of New South Wales (NSW), Australian citizens, or just part of a region in the Pacific.

"There are no more boundaries in today's globalization. So understanding the language and culture of different countries is very important in helping to build a global community," Tony said.

Tony also motivated the students to continue to study hard and follow in the footsteps of their predecessors who have proven that they have successfully pursued careers with mastery of the Indonesian language.

Meanwhile, Lisa Cooper, Indonesian language teacher at the school, said that Indonesian Day tries to give students a real experience of Indonesia.

"Indonesia is our close neighbor, we want to promote learning the language and culture. Our students are our next generation, and it's important that we continue to adopt the education and other richness of Indonesia," she said.

Indonesian Day featured a number of art and cultural activities packed to interest students about Indonesia. It also invites students to experience first-hand the spirit of Indonesian arts and culture.

"Such as, playing angklung, incising batik canting on cloth, demonstrating pencak silat movements, imitating Balinese dance movements, and listening to historical stories of Australia-Indonesia relations through story telling," wrote the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney.

This time, IGtS was held by the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney with the support of various parties including the Australia Indonesia Association (AIA) NSW, Indonesian Language and Culture Center (BBBI) NSW, Saraswati Balinese Dance Studio, Indonesian Students Association of Australia (PPIA) New South Wales, Pencak Silat Aman Sehat Ampuh Damai (PPS ASAD) Australia and Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) of the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney. (VOI/Randy)