BBIP Board Members 2022

Board Member

Leon’s interest in Indonesia goes back about thirty years, both for business and pleasure. He has visited Indonesia more than 50 times. For a time he was importing Indonesian goods for wholesale and retail in Perth. He studied Indonesian at Central TAFE and later graduated from Curtin University with a degree in Indonesian. Leon operates a small contracting business in the building industry and is interested in local government. He remains interested in establishing business ties with Indonesia. About 3 hours away from Perth we have Indonesia with a population of about 270 million. There are issues between Australia and Indonesia; issues can only be resolved in communication. Communication requires language. Leon believes it is arrogant to suggest that only English should be used in communications with Indonesia at various levels. Hence the study of Bahasa Indonesia is important. Leon has joined the Board of BBIP to make a difference, to make a contribution and to give something back.

Joe first became interested in Indonesia when he visited a family friend living in Jakarta at the age of 17. “It was a buzz on the senses and overwhelmingly interesting. The food, the smells, the number of people. I loved everything”. Since then, he has travelled back a number of times including through East Java enjoyingen regional differences in food, language and culture.

While studying International relations at Curtin University his interest in Indonesia moved toward the political relationship between Indonesia and Australia. During this time he spent time living and studying in Yogyakarta, Central Java.

Over the last two years Joe has begun to learn the Indonesian language first though University then online with us at BBIP. He believes that learning a language leads to a deeper understanding of culture. He has joined Balai Bahasa to help promote the Indonesian language in Western Australia.   

Georgina’s fascination with Indonesia stems back to the early 80s when she first travelled there and experienced the cultural and geographic diversity which characterises the archipelago. Over the years Georgina has travelled many times to various parts of Indonesia in a quest to learn more. To this end she studied Bahasa Indonesia at Satya Wacana Christian University in Java and later at BBIP and in 2019, completed aMaster of Education ( Studies of Asia). As an Access Asia coordinator of 25 years, a secondary Humanities and Social Sciences(HASS) educator and more recently as a deputy principal Georgina has worked to ensure that teaching and learning programs incorporated, wherever possible, content on our nearest Asian neighbour which is fast evolving into a major global economy. She has consistently worked alongside staff to demonstrate ways to integrate Indonesian content across the curriculum, particularly in the performing arts.

An IT professional and Global Politics and Policy student at Murdoch University, Zac’s Indonesian journey began with language classes at his high school in Hobart, Tasmania. His journey continued with, as is the case for many Australians, several family holidays in Bali. Enamoured by the people he met there, further visits to the archipelago (including Java and Timor) were inevitable.

Zac believes it important that Australian children be provided with the opportunity to appreciate and interact with Indonesia, for both their own enrichment and because the strengthening of bilateral relations is vital to the prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific region. 

As part of her Asian Studies master’s degree, Janelle spent a semester studying at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta through ACICIS Study Indonesia. She undertook field research for her dissertation, looking at the profitability of international organic certification for small-holder rice farmers in Boyolali, Central Java.

Janelle continued her association  with ACICIS at the Secretariat in Perth, where she helped develop and facilitate study programs for Australian and international students in Indonesia, and in 2018 moved to Jakarta to take on the role of Deputy Resident Director with the organisation.

Janelle is passionate about Indonesia and international education and has dedicated her career to introducing students to the wonders of the Indonesian language, culture, history, food and its beauty. Janelle joins the BBIP board in 2021 and looks forward to continuing to be involved in introducing Australians to wonderful Indonesia. .

Danielle Horne

Danielle Horne is a passionate educator with over 25 years of experience teaching Indonesian. She is the current President of WILTA (the Westralian Indonesian Language Teachers Association), and regularly runs workshops for teachers on engaging students in the language classroom and the use of authentic texts to support language learning. Danielle is a strong advocate for languages and particularly Indonesian in schools. Co-author of the Saya Bisa! series, Danielle has a public blog that contains an extensive collection of classroom games and activities for language teachers.