City of Busselton celebrates 25 years of sister city relationship with Sugito, Japan

Locals and officials immersed themselves in a unique cultural exchange as they came together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Busselton and Sugito sister city relationship. City of Busselton representatives were joined by Japanese officials and community members for a dinner on Thursday, February 17, to mark the long relationship between the two cities. They became sister cities in 1996, creating a cross-cultural experience through a variety of community and school exchanges. The City has been unable to participate in annual student exchanges for the past two years due to COVID-19 but raised a toast to a quarter-century of friendship with a Japanese-inspired dinner complete with traditional Japanese meals and entertainment. City mayor Grant Henley said he was grateful for the relationship the cities shared. “I think we can all be proud after 25 years that not only have we matured as a City but our friendship between our two cities has also,” he said. “What sister cities truly stand for is the shared experiences of mutual friendship and that will be continued forever.” Consul-General of Japan in Perth Toru Suzuki shared the sentiment, saying it was a “momentous milestone”. “We are very fortunate to have an opportunity to gather together tonight; we have faced many challenges the past few years,” he said. “The people of Western Australia have continued to express the passion for Japan, culture and, most importantly, unwavering commitment to the relationship and friendships between our two countries. “I guarantee future generations can enjoy the cultural and social ties pushed from this long history of exchange for it is the friendships and memories that keep us connected and friends for life. All of us thank you for your ongoing efforts and support.” Guests were treated to a variety of traditional performances throughout the night, including Japanese Drumming from Taiko On, an Iaido martial arts demonstration from Sensei Rick Berghuis and a Subi dance performance by Sayaka and Miyu Ishii. Former WA premier Richard Court talked about his long standing with Japan, serving as the Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. “During my four years as the ambassador in Japan, we had the opportunity to participate in many of the sister city relationships and it was quite always heartwarming to see the importance the cities were placing in these relationships,” he said. “The whole purpose of the sister city relationship is to strengthen the personal links that we have between our countries so we can better understand their cultures and these relationships really work if each side puts the effort in.”