A passionate life

October 2004

Environmentalist Angela Hijjas chose adventure over convention when she headed to Malaysia on an Australian Volunteers Abroad assignment soon after graduation. More than 30 years later, she's still there, write Rahmah Daud and Allison Harding.

A nature lover at heart, Angela Hijjas is better known in her adopted homeland for her promotion of the arts through creative exchanges between Australian and Malaysian artists.

Garden lover: Angela Hijjas in her indigenous garden at her home in Kuang, Malaysia.

The Rimbun Dahan residency program developed by Mrs Hijjas and her architect husband Hijjas Kasturi allows professional artists to develop their craft during year-long residencies at the couple's sprawling Kuang home on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

Over the past decade their property, boasting an indigenous garden, contemporary buildings and a restored 19th-century Malay house, has hosted 30 painters, writers and sculptors from both countries.

Born in Melbourne, Mrs Hijjas graduated from Monash University in 1971, having completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in geography and economics. After marrying her Colombo Plan Scholar husband, who studied architecture in Australia, her life took a path that reflected her commitment to the arts and the environment.

The couple see their residency program as a way of repaying the benefits they have enjoyed from being part of both cultures -- although the motivation was partially triggered by a 1983 political spat when then Australian prime minister Paul Keating labelled his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad a "recalcitrant". Aware the incident could worsen bilateral relations, the couple felt something positive needed to be done.

"That was the catalyst, although we had been thinking about it for some time," says Mrs Hijjas, who adores her life in the tropics and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2000 for services to Malaysian--Australian relations.

"Malaysia is an easy place to live for any expatriate -- I don't think many places would be so accommodating. I love the food, the warmth and friendliness of the locals, and the landscapes. I also love the fact that I have the opportunity to be involved in both conservation organisations and cultural development," she says.

The couple's Rimbun Dahan program, with airfares, accommodation and a monthly stipend that covers the artists' expenses, is offered annually to one Australian and one Malaysian artist. In return, artists donate two pieces of their work for the gallery collection.

"This program provides new opportunities for local artists who want to make art their career," Mrs Hijjas says. "Until recently, the government tied the arts and culture to tourism, but now that it is separated under an enlightened minister, there seems to be a lot more scope for serious cultural development.

"With urbanisation, population growth and the worldwide threat of religious militancy, I believe there is now an awareness that if people don't have a vibrant culture to shape their lives, they will be forced to revert to religion in ever stranger and more divergent modes."

Mrs Hijjas says while environmental issues are also becoming an increasingly hot topic in the Malaysian media, the concern is yet to be reflected in government policies.

"But there is a strong core of people who are passionate and persistent, and hopefully they will make a difference," she says.

Mrs Hijjas, who believes Monash University's presence in Malaysia has had a great impact on providing a high standard of education without students having to leave their homes and families, is determined to continue her conservation work for as long as she can.

"In 10 years, I imagine I will still be here -- but less involved with the cultural program than I am now," she says.

"I don't think I could ever leave the garden, but perhaps I will write about it and the Malaysian landscape. Certainly I will continue my support for conservation through developing programs and fundraising -- I'm sure the need will be the same in a decade."

Action

Contact Mrs Angela Hijjas on ajh@pd.jaring.my.