Isla Winarto was born in Sydney, Australia, to an Australian
mother and Indonesian father. Until the age of six, she grew
up in Australia , then moved to Indonesia where she first
met her Indonesian father who had been deported from Australia,
under the White Australia policy, just a few months before
she was born. Isla achieved a BA honors degree in Indonesian
language/literature from the University of Sydney and a Graduate
Diploma in Education from Sydney Teachers’ College.
Her hobbies are reading, traveling, meeting new people and
doing social work. She has traveled to almost 40 countries
on personal and business trips.
When was your first trip to Indonesia?
From my earliest years, because of my family background, I
began to hear stories of Indonesia, but I didn’t actually
visit and live in the country until 1953 when my mother, older
sister and I joined my father. At age 12, I returned to Australia
for high school and university studies.
Have you traveled extensively in Indonesia?
Yes, I have traveled a lot within the archipelago. Tanah Toraja
and Bali are my favorite places. Both are fascinating to me
because their cultures are so unique and colorful.
What kinds of jobs have you had in Indonesia?
In 1985, I joined USAID at the American Embassy in Jakarta
as Language Coordinator, then assumed the role of Project
Manager of a U.S. government training project. After more
than 11 years at USAID, I took up the position of Country
Director of IDP Education Australia, an Australian company
owned by Australia’s universities.
Can you give examples of the types of projects you’ve
worked on?
For over 20 years, I had roles on donor-funded education and
training projects which focused on overseas training programs
for Indonesians. I arranged placements for Indonesians at
suitable international universities, processing their applications
and arranging all pre-departure matters. In another project,
my role was to assist young Australians coming to Indonesia
as “youth ambassadors”. I placed them with Indonesian
families and arranged work placements at government departments
where they could share expertise and also learn about Indonesian
government, society and culture.
Do you have any interesting anecdotes to relate about your
work as a professional interpreter?
When I served as an interpreter for Hillary Clinton, the wife
of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, during their 1994 Indonesia
visit, we drove everywhere under police escort. I felt like
the Queen! Also, while I gave Indonesian lessons to former
the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Wolfowitz, I had fun
advising on him Indonesian social etiquette such as never
handing anyone any object with your left hand and always waiting
to be invited first with Silakan minum/makan (Please do have
a drink/eat) while visiting Indonesians.
What kind of work are you involved in now?
I work for IDP Education (Indonesia) which promotes Australian
educational opportunities on behalf of Australian institutions,
at the high school, college and university levels, and provides
a range of student services, including IELTS testing.
What do you like best about your work?
I find it very inspiring to know that IDP has helped more
than 15,000 Indonesian students map out their futures by processing
their studies in Australia and is also largely responsible
for opening up new student markets for Australia in the outer
island areas of east Kalimantan and North Celebes.
What’s most difficult about your work?
Ensuring uniformity in quality of customer service across
all nine IDP Indonesia offices.
What project have you worked on that you hold particularly
dear to your heart?
Outside IDP, I am a member of Soroptimist International of
Jakarta (SIJ), a global professional women’s organization
promoting the welfare of women and children. After the 2004
tsunami, the SIJ club (of which I was a founding member in
Indonesia) raised US$1.6 million for its Rebuilding Lamreh
Village Project (RLV) Project in Aceh. As RLV Project Director,
I found it very satisfying to assist the Lamreh people by
providing 200 houses, a school, library, women’s centre,
community hall, clinic and market.
Have you ever published accounts of your life experiences
or the work you’ve carried out?
In 2003, my life story, along with 30 other biographies, was
selected from more than 5,000 entries and released world-wide
in a book entitled Australian Expats: Stories From Abroad
, published through the non-profit Southern Cross Group. In
2006, I also helped compile a book with SIJ members on our
experiences implementing the RLV Project.
In your opinion, what do you think is Indonesia’s single
most critical social problem that prevents people from bettering
their lives?
The general lack of access to educational opportunities. The
desire for learning is high but for many Indonesians, a decent
education is often unattainable due to poverty, some age-old
beliefs that a woman’s place is still in the home, and
the reality that it’s not what you know but who you
know that often determines whether you get ahead in life here.
Do you have any future plans, either personally or professionally?
I plan to continue working in Indonesia, while doing more
social work in under-privileged areas in my spare time.
Where can one learn more about the work you do?
People may access: www.idp.com or contact me at islawinart@idp.com
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
