ACICIS held a 20th anniversary celebration and reunion weekend in Yogyakarta from the 28 to 30 August, 2015.

It was a brilliant weekend, giving us all a time to reminisce, and realize the significance of ACICIS’ contribution to the Australia- Indonesia relationship over the previous two decades.

The weekend began on the Friday evening with a meal and celebrations at the Sheraton Hotel, with attendees hearing from the Member of Perth, the Hon Alannah MacTiernan MP.

The conference sessions on Saturday included discussions on the value of ACICIS to the Australia-Indonesia relationship, ACICIS’ value to member and partner universities and the impact ACICIS has on students. University representatives from Charles Darwin University, Griffith University, Gadjah Mada University, Parahyangan University and The University of Sydney were on the panel of these discussions.

ACICIS alumni Esther Sainsbury (Semester 22/Feb 2006 & Semester 23/Aug 2006), Aidan Hoy (Semester 20/Feb 2005), Jacqui Baker (Semester 10/Feb 2000), Linda Yan (Semester 1/Aug 1995 & Semester 2/Feb 1996) and Penny Coutas (Semester 13/Aug 2001 & Semester 14/Feb 2002) also had the opportunity to speak and discuss the significance ACICIS has had on their lives and careers.

Dinner on Saturday evening was held at Abhayagiri Restaurant, overlooking Prambanan Temple. Alumni Luke Arnold (Semester 10/Feb 2000) and Gary Dean (Semester 4/Feb 1997) reminisced on their time with ACICIS.

A number of field trips had been planned for Sunday. Guests were given time to explore Yogyakarta and enjoy rafting, tubing and cultural activities in the area.

We would like to thank all the guests who joined us for the weekend, particularly those who spoke and shared their experiences.

The weekend generated many ideas for ACICIS, and we can’t wait to start implementing them for the next 20 years! Keep an eye for our news and social media accounts, as we will be sharing some of the lessons and outcomes from the weekend over the coming weeks and months.

ACICIS Consortium Director, Professor David T. Hill AM, spoke to The Jakarta Post about ACICIS Alumni play greater roles in Australia- Indonesia relations. Read the full article here.

ACICIS Resident Director, Elena Williams, wrote an article for The Jakarta Post on twenty years of getting to know Australia’s neighbour. Read the full article here.

Click here to view a photo gallery of the event.

Happy 20th Birthday, ACICIS!