Indonesian

Hari Indonesia

On Friday 21 August 2026, our school was filled with colour, laughter and the wonderful spirit of Indonesia as we celebrated Hari Indonesia!

Students had so much fun throughout the day, beginning with a delicious selection of Indonesian snacks during recess. We then embraced the excitement of some classic Indonesian Independence Day games, including tug of war, sack races, marble and spoon races, cracker eating and badminton. There was plenty of cheering, laughter and friendly competition!

This year's celebration was made even more special by the presence of special guests from the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Melbourne, including the Consul General and the Consul for Social and Cultural Affairs. They had the opportunity to experience first-hand how we celebrate Indonesian culture at our school and were very impressed to see our students dressed up, enthusiastically participating in the games and enjoying the dance workshops.

Our Year 6 students also delighted our younger students with a special Wayang (shadow puppet) performance. Our Prep and Year 1 students especially enjoyed watching the animal characters and stories come to life.

We were also very fortunate to welcome back the amazing Suara Indonesia Dance Company for our whole school incursion. The dancers performed a wonderful selection of traditional Indonesian dances and then taught our students dances from different parts of Indonesia. It was fantastic to see students of all ages joining in, learning new movements and experiencing the richness and diversity of Indonesian culture.

The Indonesian spirit was also visible throughout the week, as students worked together to decorate their classroom doors with the theme “The Islands of Indonesia.” The creative displays showcased the incredible diversity, beauty and culture of the Indonesian archipelago.

We wrapped up our wonderful day with a special assembly, where we celebrated our competition winners. Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Sayembara Lisan speaking competition and the KJRI Poster Competition. We were also treated to performances by selected students who showcased the dances they had learnt during the day, accompanied by the talented Suara Indonesia dancers.

And finally, a special congratulations to Charlie from 4C, who won our lolly jar guessing competition this year! Charlie guessed the correct number of lollies and took home the very sweet prize. In addition, we raised $305 from the lolly jar guessing competition, which will be donated to The Orangutan Project to help funding the orangutan conservation, rehabilitation and habitat protection program.

My favourite games were the cracker eating competition and tug of war. Our team won the tug of war, and it was a lot of fun! 

Kiaan PMP

 

It was my first Hari Indonesia and I had so much fun. My favourite parts were the cracker eating competition and the Shadow Puppet show. 

Erika 1D

 

I like Hari Indonesia because we got to do fun activities and play Congklak (Indonesian board game). We also ate some yummy Indonesian snacks. 

Lillian 2LB

 

I liked the Indonesian snacks because they were very yummy. I was also happy that I won the bottle-pen competition. It was a lot of fun! 

Aubrey 3E

 

I loved the cracker competition because the cracker was yummy and it was nice to have a challenge. We also won the door decoration which was very exciting. 

Lizzy 3L

 

My favourite parts of Hari Indonesia were the snacks and the cracker eating competition. I also like the sack race and tug of war. Everything was really fun! A big thank you to the Indonesian Captains and Bu Gladys. 

Maddie 4C

 

I enjoyed Hari Indonesia celebration, and my favourite activities were the tug of war and cracker eating competition. I also found the traditional dances very cool especially the one where they used the pants to make drumming sounds. 

Aiden 5L

 

We enjoyed seeing the performers used traditional music and dances to showcase their culture. The mask dance and body percussion dance were our favourite ones. Aarin got to perform with the dancers at the assembly which was exciting. Our favourite activity was the cracker eating competition. 

Aarohi & Aarin 6R

 

As the Indonesian Captains, we were able to help the teachers set up and run the event. Our favourite part was meeting the Consul General of Indonesia, taking him on a tour of the school, and showing him how we celebrate Hari Indonesia. We also had the opportunity to lead the assembly and present the awards, which was a nerve-wracking yet rewarding experience. It made us really happy to see everyone having such a wonderful day celebrating Indonesian culture. 

Mira & Tej, Indonesian Captains

Thank you to all our students, staff, families, the Consulate General of Indonesia and our wonderful performers for helping make Hari Indonesia 2026 such a joyful and memorable celebration. 

Until next year! Sampai jumpa!

Bu Gladys (Gladys Wangke)

Indonesian Teacher