A commemorative bench and a handmade quilt will carry a piece of Busselton to Japan this week to mark 30 years of the Busselton and Sugito sister city relationship.

Members of the Busselton and Sugito Sister Cities Association and Country Women’s Association Busselton Belles have been putting their creative skills to work, preparing the gifts to mark the milestone.

The Busselton and Sugito sister city relationship grew out of Busselton Rotary Club visits to the Japanese city between 1992 and 1995, leading to a student exchange program up until 2019.

BASSCA president Pauline Vukelic said the community delegation recognised 30 years of the sister city relationship between the City of Busselton and the Town of Sugito, with the three-day visit from November 1-3, which takes in the annual Sugito Agricultural Festival.

“The delegation members will meet with Sugito community and in particular look forward to meeting some of the hundreds of high school students who have participated in the student exchange program between 1994 and 2019,” she said.

“The bench, a gift from BASSCA, featuring the iconic images of Busselton, painted by members of Quindalup Artists, will be unveiled at the Agricultural Festival on November 3, which is expected to be attended by about 8000 people.”

Cate Edwards, Ian Pavey, Karen Johnson and Ms Vukelic of Quindalup Artists created the bench, which features a Busselton-inspired design, including the Busselton Jetty, a bottlebrush flower, a western ringtail possum and marine life.

The Busselton Belles have also stitched together a Busselton-inspired quilt to present as a gift of friendship to Sugito at the welcome party.

Branch president Gae Lindsay Henley said the quilt featured panels representing the different aspects of life in Busselton.

“We have local flora and fauna emblems, there is also a black swan for Western Australia,” she said.

The quilt also features Sugipyon, Sugito’s cedar tree mascot designed by local schoolchildren.

Belles’ member Gina Frost said 24 members contributed to the making of the quilt.

“There were some people that had never sewn before, so we had a number of workshops at my house where people could decide on their fabrics and put something together,” she said.

BASSCA will also display their history during the Busselton Show in the Bower Pavilion, along with a drumming performance on Saturday.