30 years of friendship!
On 21 November 2010 we celebrated the 30th Anniversary of our Sister City friendship with Ibusuki in Japan. What a milestone to celebrate - with years of shared experiences and memories for the people of our two regions.
Some of the major exchanges between our two regions have included:
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The construction of the Japanese Gardens in the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens - as a gift from Ibusuki to the citizens of Rockhampton. The Japanese Gardens were opened on June 17, 1982 and have been enjoyed by millions of people.
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The construction of an Australian-style garden in Ibusuki City, as a symbol of the eternal friendship between our citizens, opened on April 18, 1983.
- In November 1998, Rockhampton City Council presented Ibusuki City with a statue of a Belmont Red Bull, which is proudly on display in Rockhampton Road in Ibusuki City.
- The bronze "Sunamushi" sculpture is a reciprocal gift from Ibusuki City. The sculpture is named, "the bather, clad in a cotton kimono" and is on display at the Rockhampton Art Gallery.
- Ibusuki underwent an amalgamation in 2006 and on August 3 of that year, former Mayor of Rockhampton City Council, Margaret Strelow and former CEO of Rockhampton City Council, Gary Stevenson, visited Ibusuki City to re-sign the Sister City relationship between Rockhampton and Ibusuki.
- Now, following our recent amalgamation into the Rockhampton Regional Council, Mayor Taharasako and Chairman Shinguryo travelled here to re-sign and re-affirm our Sister City relationship between their City and our Region.
- A group of students from Ibusuki visits the Rockhampton Region each year for a Vacation English Study Tour. It's interesting to note that the students from Ibusuki who visit our Region weren't even born when their City signed the original Sister City Agreement with Rockhampton back in 1980!
- Since 2008, we have held an annual Sister City Snapshots Photo Competition - a community photo competition where you provide a snapshot of real life in the Rockhampton Region to share with our Sister City 'relatives' in Ibusuki, Japan. It's a great way to promote our Aussie way of life to our Sister City, with our photo exhibition being sent to Ibusuki to be exhibited also in Ibusuki City Hall and on their website. For more information on Sister City Snapshots, click here.