Bulletin

Issue: July 2006

International

Helping development in Indonesia

La Trobe University’s Bendigo campus is the academic partner with an Indonesian Community Development program, Community Empowerment for Rural Development. The Masters level program is coordinated by senior lecturer in Social Science, Trevor Budge, with Drs Phil West and Shari Siegloff supervising the students’ theses.

Dr West says the first students arrived in January last year and spent a year and a half at Bendigo completing an intensive English Language course. This was followed by seven academic units ranging from rural and regional planning, economic development, to researching social life.

They then began research on a 12,000 word thesis for which they returned to Indonesia for three months’ field research. For the final two months - mid-June to August, 2006 - the students have returned to Australia to complete their theses. Dr West says theses topics vary widely. They include projects on a water users’ association, youth exodus from rural areas, rural neo-natal care and evaluation of a rural savings and credit program.

In May, Dr West travelled to Indonesia to supervise the progress of the students, checking collection of secondary material, thesis planning, ethics issues, as well as their field research and introductory drafts.

‘Each student’s English skills, fluency and accent varies, so I had to adapt for individual needs. ‘ Dr West had never been to Indonesia and found it a wonderful learning and cultural experience. ‘Initially, the social inequality was very striking,’ says Dr West. ‘There are Mercedes and BMWs on the roads next to people-powered taxis and marblegilded homes near slums with open sewers.

‘However I’ve lived and travelled in many countries including Latin America and the Philippines, and I think the Indonesians are among the warmest and most hospitable people I have met, despite the more negative issues about the country often portrayed in the Australian media. ‘ Dr West, a photography enthusiast with a number of exhibition and publication credits, also used his time to capture snapshots of Indonesian life.

An on-line exhibition can be seen at philwest.org/photos