Finalists of the 2009 Australian Alumni Awards Announced

The Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, today officially announced the finalists for the 2009 Australian Alumni Awards which are designed to acknowledge the contributions to Indonesia made by tens of thousands of Indonesians who have studied at Australian schools, universities and technical colleges.

The 38 successful finalists were selected across nine award categories and include well-known names such as Mr Airlangga Hartarto (Australian Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship) and Ms Mira Lesmana (Australian Alumni Award for Culture and Arts).

“I am delighted to announce this group of finalists – a group of remarkable Indonesians who are making significant contributions to the development of Indonesia and to the strong people-to-people links between our two countries,” Mr Farmer said.

The Australian Alumni Awards include categories for: Young Achievers; Excellence in Education; Entrepreneurship; Sustainable Economic and Social Development; Research and Innovation; Business Leadership; Culture and Arts; Creativity and Design; and Journalism and Media.

Ambassador Farmer will host a reception for the finalists tonight in Jakarta and announce the winners of two special alumni awards for distinguished and inspirational service.

A full list of finalists is available at www.indonesia.embassy.gov.au with the winners from these Award categories to be announced at the 2^nd Australian Alumni Awards Dinner in Jakarta on 21 February.

Nominations for the awards are made by alumni and the public through the Australian Alumni Network, Ozmate. The Awards are sponsored by: Australian Education International (AEI), AusAID, Australia Indonesia Institute (AII), ANZ Bank, ABC Radio Australia, Ozmate and Lippo Group.

Further details on the Awards and the Alumni Awards Dinner are available at: www.ozmate.org.

Media Enquiries:
Jenny Dee, Counsellor (Public Affairs) tel. (021) 2550 5290 mob. 0811 187 3175