Today Scotts Head Public School welcomed the Indonesian Consul General and his staff in a historic visit to the small regional school.
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"It is a great honour to receive these dignitaries in our little school," Principal Gillian Stuart said.
"Through visits like these, we hope to maintain and foster a strong, relationship with Australia's nearest neighbour."
Indonesian Consul General Bapak Heru Hartanto Subolo and all the other visitors in attendance were treated to Indonesian performances by students from the primary school and Macksville High School in a cross-school initiative.
"Indonesia and Australia have been friends for a long time. Thank you to everyone who has made this day possible, thank you for helping build a cultural bridge between Indonesia and Australia," Consul General Bapak Heru Hartanto Subolo said.
"So far, all the performances have been fantastic, the way the students move and speak is a lot like Indonesia."
During a brief intermission, gifts were exchanged between the Consul General and Principal Gillian Stuart, they also reaffirmed promises of friendship and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties with our neighbour.
Former principal Angie Evans and teacher Bibi Ahmed were instrumental in starting Indonesian educational classes at the school, and now through their efforts, Scotts Head Public School can boast that it is the only Indonesian bilingual public school in New South Wales.
"I'm so proud to see how far the school has come, this visit by the Indonesian Consul General is great for the school and the area," Angie said.
"Initially, Bibi came to me with this proposal of introducing Indonesian classes at the school; I was stunned, as a principal you don't expect someone in such a small town to have these skills."
Aside from the advantages of having well educated and multilingual students, the other benefit has been to the town with an influx of new people attracted to the diverse group of cultures.
"Because we are a unique school with such a vibrant and strong culture, people want to come here, they bring their families and move here," Angie said.
While Angie has now retired, she is happy in the knowledge that the school is in the safe hands of her successor, Gillian Stuart.
"Gillian has always been on my wavelength, we agree on most issues, and when I found out she was going to take over as principal I was excited, I couldn't think of a better person for the job," she said.
"I wanted to make this school as great as it could be, and Gillian is continuing that work, it's a joy to come here every time."
