Deputy Chair, Ian Cook met with colleagues from the Culture and Information, Education, Youth and Training and Public Outreach divisions at the ASEAN Secretariat on Jalan Sisingamangaraja on Monday 28 May to discuss progress regarding the forthcoming joint publication ‘A contemporary guide to cultural mapping – an ASEAN-Australia perspective’. Printing will commence shortly and the Guide will be launched both in Southeast Asia and Australia during the second half of 2012. Watch for updates on the AusHeritage website.

Ian Cook also met with the team at Balai Konservasi which is part of the Tourism and Culture Office of the Jakarta City Government. Discussions focused on the state of play since the Balai Konservasi’s mission to Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney in late June 2011. The key focus of the exchange this time in Jakarta was to explore avenues for future cooperation especially regarding the sustainability of buildings in the old city of Batavia and to lay the ground for ongoing projects.

On the way to the meeting with Balai Konservasi Ian Cook with Indonesian colleagues Hubertus Saderin and Ms Ninik outside the Old National Archives building in Jakarta

Ian Cook also spent time with the Executive Director, Catrini P Kubontubuh and Inaugural Chair, Pak Suhadi of Badan Pelestarian Pusaka Indonesia – BPPI (Indonesian Heritage Trust) to discuss recent initiatives at the BPPI office and future relations. The Trusts publication of heritage conservation curricula material for teachers and students is very impressive as is the August 2011 publication ‘Guidelines for Managing Post-Disaster Conservation of Heritage Buildings, Case Study: Padang, West Sumatra’. AusHeritage looks forward to regular contact with BPPI in the future.

BPPI Executive Director Catrini Kubontubuh and AusHeritage Deputy Chair Ian Cook promoting BPPI’s latest publication on managing post-disaster conservation

For those interested in heritage responses to climate change it is worth looking at BPPI’s ‘Declaration of Natural and Cultural Heritage of Indonesia’ see:

http://www.xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/13361214/ 749181867/name/DECLARATION+ON+NATURAL+AND+ CULTURAL+HERITAGE+CONSERVATION+final.pdf

For further information contact Ian Cook: ianlcook@bigpond.net.au