Dr Malem McLeod has never let the barriers such as growing up in an impoverished rural Indonesian family affect her lifelong passion to pursue and achieve educational goals. She has attained numerous degrees (including a doctorate) and is currently studying for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) while working full time as a soil scientist/hydrologist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Malem lives in Calala near Tamworth with her husband Ross and two children Tiara and Ben, and has been in Australia since 1991.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

This comes from my past, present and future. My past, being my cultural background, parents and experiencing a life of poverty while growing up in a remote Indonesian village; my present, being the desire to not ever go back to live in poverty again; and my future, being my constant desire to set my children on a journey to a bright future.

I come from a paternal culture where boys are more valued than girls. Family resources are usually put towards education for boys. Dad married twice because he didn’t have a boy with my mother for a long time. Because Dad initially had seven girls before he had a boy, he had no choice but to change his attitude and start to focus on educating the girls, because in Indonesia there is no social welfare and children are your security. My Dad also had a strong desire to better his children’s future prospects so they could have an easier life. He was the main driver in my educational life. You never stop learning and you can always learn something new, even from your mistakes.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

Education changes life. I knew I wanted an education but I didn’t know how I was going to make it happen. Most village people didn’t get an education because they couldn’t afford it. In Indonesia schooling was not free. Most people get their education with the help of ‘connections’, particularly at the university level. I am proud to say we did not have to use connections as I managed to get through school by winning competitive merit-based places. My first small win showed me what was possible and I learned the importance of setting goals. While studying at Bogor Agricultural Institute for my bachelor degree, I remember seeing the prestige and material rewards local lecturers who had studied overseas were given. I thought, ‘I want to be like that’, so I set my sights on achieving this.

My first strategy was to look for a scholarship to become a lecturer in the most remote university where the opportunity to grow would be the highest. I didn’t mind going to a remote location as long as I could progress from there. However, the authorities wouldn’t send me there because I was a female. I ended up in central Java at a very old-fashioned university where progression was through age and superiority. I realised I was not going to get anywhere if I stayed there. I managed to attract some attention by scoring very highly on an aptitude test and this opened the door for me to apply for an Australian Government international development scholarship program to study in Australia. At the time I had very little English and the scholarship program sent me for a six month intensive English course in the capital city of Jakarta. I ended up in Brisbane studying for a Masters degree. However, the English I had learnt from my American and Canadian teachers in Jakarta was very different from Australian English. I had trouble gathering information unless I could lipread, and some lecturers had beards or moustaches which made it extra difficult! This is how I met Ross. He felt sorry for me and lent me his lecture tapes.

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

I grew up in a remote part of Sumatra. I always wanted to be a medical practitioner because it was a profession where I could really help to make a difference. I couldn’t go to Medical School because it was only available to the very very rich. I therefore took the practical view and chose a four year agriculture degree at Bogor Agricultural Institute that offered places for top students from all parts of Indonesia. This was a very competitive place, but was free to those who could pass the selection process. Studying agriculture wouldn’t cost too much and would lead to a job.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

My childhood was spent in the remote village of Bintang Meriah in Indonesia. I lived in an old longhouse (which eight families lived in) and amongst all my extended families in the village. At a very young age we were taught to help each other and to share. The ‘sharing’ value is deeply ingrained in me. I am constantly reminding my children to share things with each other, which I find challenging because their life experiences in Australia are a world apart from mine.

Because I have come from a highly collective culture, I also place a high value on friendships. When I studied in Bogor I had lots of friends from all over Indonesia who had diverse subcultural backgrounds but a similar socioeconomic background to mine. So we helped each other a lot and shared most of our resources, such as books, typewriters, papers, stationery, and sometimes food. My class of about 175 students were like a big family—a home far away from home for me. I still maintain good contact with the majority of my uni friends; some of them now occupy important jobs in Indonesia.

The poverty I experienced early in life taught me to be constantly grateful for where I am now. My work ethic and perseverance comes from seeing how hard my parents worked to ensure we could go through school. My parents were poor farmers who worked day and night. As well as farming, Dad sold village spices, livestock and agricultural goods to Chinese merchants in the city. Even if my parents didn’t know where the money would come from each week, they never told us to stop our formal education. Dad also sold bits of land when funds were needed. He was a poor shepherd boy who was very smart but didn’t have the opportunity to gain an education. He has 13 children. He therefore has had to work very hard. His principle in life was ‘I am willing to live in a tent as long as my children go to school’.

Who are your role models?

I admire the simplicity of Mahatma Ghandi. He pursued happiness by looking within himself and not relying on getting it from outside. I don’t tend to compare my material possessions to others and that makes a lot of difference in my personal satisfaction.

In my more day-to-day life it is my Mum and Dad who have had a strong influence on my attitudes and values. They taught us to look after one another. My older sister helped me while I was getting an education and I now keep the ‘chain reaction’ going and help others.

What does success mean to you?

I put more than 100% into whatever I do. Opportunity alone is not going to take you very far unless you have willingness and resources. These three are integral to success. Success is a dynamic and ongoing journey rather than an end. Success also means progressing. If I haven’t given up, I know I am being successful. I always look at where I have come from, where I am now and where I am going next. If I achieve something then I start looking for the next step to take. Success at work is about finishing projects on time and in line with my workplan. At home I will feel successful if my children continue to be happy, healthy and pursue education.

From a very humble beginning (with both my parents not even completing their primary school education) I have attained the highest academic qualification, and through my education I have transcended poverty. To me, that is a huge achievement.

I think I have also been successful in a material sense, because when I look back to 1991, which is when I came to Australia, all my belongings could fit into a single suitcase. So looking at what I have now, I think I have made substantial progress.

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest barrier was being born a girl in Indonesia and being allowed to get an education. Girls are supposed to be married and have children. My mother had eight children by the time she was 40. Back then when girls were married they were no longer a member of their family—they became a member of their husband’s family. It has changed a lot now. In Australia, I myself (that is, my cultural background and being a woman) often becomes my own barrier. I have had to learn to speak up and voice my opinion during meetings, which was very different to how things worked in Indonesia. I try to believe in myself, not give up, and continue to do self-development courses to build my assertiveness and confidence. I have improved a lot and can now express my views more easily. I also feel that I have had to be five times as good as everyone else to be competitive in the workplace, so I work hard for that.

At the moment, managing the balance between family and work is the number one barrier in my life—I think it is the same for most working mothers in Australia. But with planning and organisation, I have managed quite well. I have even managed to fit in some study time at night (we keep the TV switched off most of the time). However, with children around, I also have to be very flexible. So my flexible working hours arrangement suits me perfectly.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

In my professional life I’d like to have attained the highest level of my scientific classification. In my personal life I’d like to be more fluid. The children will be older so I hope that I will have more freedom to do other things that interest me and I look forward to that.

What would you like to say to other women who may be just starting out on a ‘Daring to Dream’ journey?

If you have a dream but something is holding you back, don’t stop dreaming. A long journey starts with the first step. Just take that first step. If you have already started and you are finding it hard, persevere and hang on to the dream because the more you focus, the more ways you will find to realise your dream. If you abandon the dream, you will never know what may have been possible. Sometimes you may even take a path that was not planned, and that is OK. I thought I was going to be stuck in a central Javan town and never get out… but there is always a way if you have the dream alive in your mind all the time. The power of the mind is very strong and can change your life if you just believe in yourself. If you think you can, then you can! If you take one step at a time you will get there whatever your dream is.