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Mr.
Gregory Vickery and Mrs. Sally Vickery,
Distinguished
Guests,
Colleagues,
It
gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the
Indonesian Embassy for this very special occasion.
Today is a day of mixed emotions for me because
just moments ago, I had the privilege of meeting
Mr. and Mrs. Vickery for the first time, and now
it is with much sadness that I have to bid them
both farewell, as Mr. Vickery has
decided to resign from his position as the
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Indonesia in
Brisbane.
For
those of you who do not know, let me give you a
short historical background. Mr. Vickery was
appointed Indonesia’s first Honorary Consul for
Queensland on 20 April 1998. And due to his
excellent contribution to the advancement of the
relations between Indonesia and Australia - and in
particular between Indonesia and Queensland - on 3
December 2004, Mr. Vickery was once again bestowed
by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia,
the privilege of running the office of Honorary
Consul of the Republic of Indonesia in Brisbane,
with jurisdiction throughout the state of
Queensland.
During
his tenure, Mr. Vickery has proven himself as a
friend of Indonesia and as a person with a broad
knowledge and understanding of Indonesia and its
cultural background. For the last eight years, Mr.
Vickery has demonstrated an outstanding ability to
build closer relations between Indonesia and
Queensland in the fields of economics, trade,
investment, tourism, education, and culture.
I
am also delighted to acknowledge the growing
cooperation between Queensland and the Province of
Central Java manifested by the signing of the Memorandum
of Understanding on Sister State Cooperation
between Queensland and the Province of Central
Java on 23 September 1991. One of the major
achievements of this initiative was the signing of
the MoU between the order of the Sisters of Mercy
in Queensland (care of Mater Misericordiae
Hospital) and the Provincial Health Office of
Central Java on 7 April 2000. The outcome of this
agreement includes an ongoing exchange of doctors
and nurses between the Mater Hospital and the Dr.
Kariadi Hospital in Semarang, and the provision of
equipment to Indonesian hospitals.
In
the trade sector, it is important to note the
growth in trade volume between Indonesia and
Australia in the last three years. According to
the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Indonesia had
a trade surplus of $211.72 million in 2003,
$266.60 million in 2004, and $38.80 million by mid
2005. These significant figures of trade surplus
are due in no small part to Mr. Vickery’s sound
reputation among the business communities in
Brisbane and his access to them. We are greatly
overwhelmed by these achievements, of which Mr.
Vickery has played a significant role and made a
sizable contribution.
As
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Indonesia, one
of Mr. Vickery’s main responsibilities was to
provide consular and immigration services to
Indonesian citizens, which he has indeed done with
great attention and care, especially considering
that there are more than 5,000 Indonesian citizens
reported to be living throughout Queensland.
Therefore,
on behalf of the Government of the Republic of
Indonesia, I would like to take this opportunity
to convey my deepest appreciation to you, Mr.
Vickery, for the outstanding work you have done
throughout your eight years as Indonesia’s
Honorary Consul.
I
would certainly hope that today’s occasion does
not mean “goodbye”. On my official visit to
Brisbane next week, I will be meeting Mr. Vickery
again. And during the AIBC event, I am looking
forward to getting acquainted with some potential
successors.
In
conclusion, may I also on behalf of the entire
staff of the Embassy, wish you every success in
your new position on the Governing Board of the
International Committee of the Red Cross. Once
again, I extend our profound appreciation and
gratitude to you for your long-term service as the
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Indonesia.
I thank you.
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