Minister Barr: Canberra and Nara celebrate 21 years of friendship
- Written by ACT Government
Released 14/10/2015
Today I was pleased to visit Nara and meet with the Mayor Gen Nakagawa to further strengthen our close sister city relationship which has been in place for 21 years.
The Mayor and I discussed our future priorities which include focussing on increasing tourism and trade opportunities, developing stronger business and economic ties, and continuing to facilitate educational exchanges between our two cities.
Japan currently ranks 14th in terms of international visitation to Canberra, and we look forward to working closely with Nara to encourage more Nara residents to visit our great city. Continuing to foster school and sporting exchanges, as well as cultural festivals between our cities are priorities for the Mayor and I as we see firsthand the value of our close relationship and we look forward to this continuing.
The Mayor was excited to hear about the Rotary Club of Burley Griffin’s proposal to bring a World Peace Bell Pavilion to Nara Peace Park. When brought to Canberra from Hiroshima, the bell will be only the second World Peace Bell in Australia, with the other located in Cowra, NSW.
The Canberra Nara Peace Park is much-loved and later this month it will come alive for the Canberra Nara Candle Festival, which is a strong symbol of the friendship between our two cities. During our meeting I was pleased to inform the Mayor of the recently appointed Friends of the Canberra Nara Peace Park group, which was established to assist in maintaining the park.
I look forward to welcoming 66 students from the Nara University High School, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, to attend and perform at the Nara Candle Festival, and to spend some time in our local schools.
While in Nara I visited the Todaiji historic precinct and the Great Buddha Hall, which is the largest wooden structure in the world and is a major tourist attraction in Japan.
I was also fortunate to visit the Tsubai Elementary School and deliver a video message on behalf of their sister school in Canberra, the Ainslie School. Tsubai is the oldest primary school in Nara (1872), and Ainslie is the oldest primary school in Canberra (1927). The schools have enjoyed a sister school relationship since 1988.
Ainslie School was the first local school to introduce Japanese language classes in the mid-60s. There are now 37 Canberra public schools teaching Japanese to over 10,000 students.
It was wonderful to visit Nara, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Mayor to ensure the fantastic relationship enjoyed between our two cities can continue.
- Statement ends -
Section: Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases
