2021 - 50th Sister City Anniversary 姉妹都市50周年記念

On May 12th, 1971, the cities of Matsudo, Japan and Whitehorse, Australia formally became sister cities. Since then, over half a century has passed, and with it the friendship between all of our people has continued to grow stronger and deeper.

In 2021, we celebrated the 50-year anniversary of our sister city relationship. In order to assure many more years of friendship to come, we celebrated these 50 years of friendship through a variety of efforts and events.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the sister city exchange, Whitehorse City presented Matsudo City with the copies of a commemorative book, "Fifty Years of Friendship," which chronicles the history of the exchange in Japanese and English.
The donated commemorative books were distributed to schools and libraries in the city.
You can look inside of the book, "Fifty Years of Friendship - Celebrating the Whitehorse-Matsudo Sister City Relationship 1971 to 2021" (Whitehorse City HP)

The koala and eucalyptus-designed manholes that dot Matsudo City were part of an initial set first created in 1985.
In celebration of our sister city relationship’s 50th anniversary milestone reached on May 12, 2021, we updated the city’s manholes through a design contest!
History of designs on Matsudo's manholes (Japanese)

松戸市内に点在する「コアラとユーカリ」マンホールは、1985年に松戸市のデザインマンホール第1号として誕生しました。

2021年5月12日に姉妹都市交流50周年という節目を迎えたことをきっかけに、「コアラとユーカリ」マンホールのリニューアルデザインを募集するコンテストを開催しました。

The Matsudo City Tourism Art Exhibition was held again this year, where elementary and junior high school students in Matsudo City can learn about the good features of the city and get to love Matsudo even more by creating paintings of local landmarks, historic sites, and scenery. Out of many fascinating paintings, the "50th Anniversary of Sister City Exchange Award" was given to the work of the student who drew pictures related to Australia.

Title："Koala manhole lid can be seen only in Matsudo. I found the tall eucalyptus trees, too!"Artist：Yugo Yanai, a 2nd grader of Kawarazuka elementary school

小中学生が本市の名所、旧跡、風景等を絵画にすることによって、それらの 観光資源を再認識し、愛郷心の高揚を図るために毎年実施されている松戸市小中学生観光絵画展の作品の中から、オーストラリアに関連した素材を描いた作品に対し、「姉妹都市交流50年記念賞」を授与しました。

題名：「コアラマンホールは松戸だけ。高いユーカリの木も見つけたよ。」

作者：河原塚小学校 2年 矢内 雄悟 くん

※終了しました
日時：2021年6月5日（土曜）・6日（日曜）（全2回）
内容：動物園の園長さんのお話を聞いたり、動物のペーパーマシュ（風船に紙を貼って形作る工作）を英語を交えて作ります。
講師：埼玉県子ども動物自然公園園長 田中 利恵子 氏、松戸市国際交流員 ギテレス・ハビア
会場：青少年会館集会室

※終了しました
日時：2021年7月31日（土曜）A 10時から12時、B 14時から16時
内容：ユーカリの植樹から始まり、以来みどりを大切にしてきた姉妹都市交流と、オーストラリアで進む自然環境を大切にする取り組みを学びます。おうちで何回でも使える蜜蝋（みつろう）エコラップを作ります。
講師：KoKeBee（AIY Australia PTY.LTD.）・文化観光国際課職員
会場：文化ホール国際友好ルーム

Under a sunny blue sky, on April 26, 2021 we held our classic tree planting ceremony to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of our sister city relationship at Matsudo Municipal Dai-go Junior High School, the very location where our cultural exchange started all those years ago.
In 1958, a schoolgirl from this middle school sent a letter to the Australian embassy asking for some eucalyptus seeds, and we can thank this tiny gesture for starting what has come to be a great bond of friendship and exchange.
By now, Dai-go Junior High School is home to three eucalyptus trees we have planted.
For this year’s tree planting ceremony, Dai-go Junior High School students worked with the Mayor of Matsudo, Mr. Kenji Hongoya, and the President of the Matsudo City Congress, Ms. Mineko Kimura, to plant a gray bottlebrush tree, a species native to Australia and similar to a eucalyptus.
We also had a kind-eyed plush koala watch over the 50 th anniversary tree planting ceremony. It was a special present we received from the Australian ambassador back in 1960, together with a eucalyptus sapling he so graciously gifted.

※No longer available／終了しました

In 2016 when the Matsudo delegation visited Whitehorse for our 45th anniversary, they received a wonderful, handmade patchwork quilt from the Whitehorse people. Touched by the warm gesture, some Matsudo citizens banded together to prepare a gift in return, and thus created the “Friendship Club.” Over the course of two years, the Friendship Club meticulously crafted a “Tsurushi-bina,” a traditional Japanese art form.

For our 50th anniversary, we will gift this Tsurushi-bina, imbued with the hearts of our citizens, to Whitehorse as a token of our friendship.

交流45周年の訪問の時に、ホワイトホース市民の皆さんから手作りのパッチワークキルトを贈られたことに感激した市民有志が、お返しの品を準備するため「フレンドシップ倶楽部」を結成。日本の伝統手芸品「つるし雛」を贈ろうと、2年の歳月をかけて手作りしました。
心のこもった「つるし雛」は、姉妹都市50周年の記念品としてホワイトホース市に贈ります。

※No longer available／終了しました
There is a hanging curtain to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our sister city relationship on the right side of the main entrance of Matsudo city hall. It was designed in the same color as the other publications and made our cerebration even more exciting.

松戸市役所の正面玄関右手に、50周年をお祝いする大きな懸垂幕を掲げました。ロゴマークやポスターと同じ色あいで、お祝いムードをさらに盛り上げました。

※No longer available／終了しました
A citizen volunteer group known as the “Matsudo Flowerbed Makers Network” carefully grew and arranged flowers to create a work of art celebrating our sister cities’ 50th friendship anniversary. The name “Whitehorse” is spelled out in flowers on one side, and on the other side you can see a horse, “50,” and heart representing the Whitehorse mascot, 50th anniversary, and love, respectively.

松戸市役所の正面玄関前の花壇に、市民ボランティアの「松戸花壇づくりネットワーク」の皆さんが花苗を植え付けて、50周年を花文字でお祝いしてくれました。

「WHITEHORSE」の文字、ホワイトホース市の市章である「馬」のマーク、50周年の「50」、友情を表す「ハート」が描かれています。

To celebrate our many years of sisterhood, we have created a celebratory poster dazzlingly dotted with both the Australian national flower, the golden wattle, and one of the Matsudo’s beloved flowers, the cherry blossom.

松戸市とホワイトホース市の姉妹都市交流50周年を記念したポスターが完成しました。オーストラリアの国花・ワトル（ミモザ）や、松戸市の花・桜など、50周年をお祝いするたくさんのお花が散りばめられたデザインです。

May I ask your name?
Paul Dailey
What is your occupation?
Teacher of Japanese at Koonung Secondary College
How did you study Japanese? Why did you become a Japanese teacher?
When I was at high school we were asked if we wanted to put our names down for a Japanese penpal. Through these penpal contacts, I became interested in Japan and as an 18 year old, I visited one of my penpal friends in 1975 in Tokyo. This further increased my interest and I started to learn Japanese in the evenings. I then asked my employer at the time if there was a chance to go to Japan and learn Japanese as part of their business. They put me in touch with a company who was able to sponsor me. I studied Japanese at the Japanese language school in Tokyo for 3 years before returning to Australia. I then worked with the Automobile Company as a Technical Japanese Translator for 11 years. I returned to study at Monash University to become a Japanese Language High School teacher. While working as a Translator was rewarding, I wanted to share my love of Japan, its people and culture with others and being a teacher was a way in which to do that.
How many students are there？How many classed are there each grade？
At Koonung there are approximately 1100 students. Classes for each grade are Year 7: 9 classes, Year 8: 9 classes, Year 9: 9 classes, Year 10: 8 classes, Year 11: 8 classes and Year 12: 8 classes.
What is the specialty of this school？
Koonung aims for the students to develop a strong sense of citizenship, self-awareness, and to do their best to achieve their academic potential. This includes digital literacy, social skills, creativity, innovation, problem solving skills and leadership.
I have heard it has the Japanese course. How many students study in this class?
The Japanese course is compulsory for students in years 7 to 9. It then becomes an elective subject for students wishing to persue Japanese in the senior years. Approximately 275 students currently study Japanese.
Why do you think students choose Japanese class?
Students choose Japanese for a number of reasons. Many enjoy reading Manga and watching Anime, and want to read and understand them in Japanese rather than the translation. Some students also wish to persue a career in Japan or have an interest in the Japanese culture. Other students have a parent or both parents who are from Japan and want their children to understand and develop the parent's native language.
Do you have other language options?
Currently at Koonung we also have French and Chinese languages.
Is the education system different between states?
There are some differences between the education systems in the different States. However, the Federal Government has a National Curriculum that the States and Territories follow to ensure a consistent high standard across all schools.
What is the Australia’s specialty about education?
The Australian education system is free and open to all residents. It endevours to provide a solid grounding of knowledge and skills for students to become successful world citizens. It welcomes students for overseas and develops strong connections with those countries.
How many subjects do you have? (9 in Japan)
How many subjects are taken is dependant on which year level a student is in. In the Middle school (Years 7 to 9), the students have between 11 to 13 subjects. In the Senior school (Years 10 to 12), the number drops to between 8 and 6 subjects depending on subject selections and specialisation by the individual student.
Do you have an entrance examination?
Koonung does not have an entrance examination so any student from within the school's district may enter. However, Koonung does have a special entry examination for students wishing to be part of Koonung's "High Achieving" program.
What is your best memory of the exchanges?
There are so many excellent memories of Matsudo students visiting Koonung and of Koonung students visiting Matsudo over my past 27 years at the school. Some of the things that stand out are the strong friendships that develop during the homestays. Many students have continued their friendships into adulthood visiting each other and regularly corresponding. They share such things as their birthdays, weddings and birth of their children. Some students have also made a career in Japanese companies and now live in Japan due to their involvement with the exchange program. The long term friendships between both school's teachers and with the City of Matsudo staff is also a warm memory. The friendships often go beyond the initial exchanges and become life long. The best memory of the exchanges is that no matter where you were born or what language you speak, we are all the same human beings with the same hopes and wishes for a peaceful and successful future.
What is your most important things as a school teacher?
The most important things as a teacher is to instil in a student a love of learning and a knowledge and appreciation of other peoples and cultures.

Making the relationship official　姉妹都市提携の調印式（1971年）

We will introduce our dear sister city, the City of Whitehorse, located in the State of Victoria, Australia.

大切な姉妹都市、オーストラリア国ビクトリア州ホワイトホース市のことをご紹介します。

• How did the sister city relationship begin? 姉妹都市交流のきっかけ
• Timeline of sister city events 姉妹都市のあゆみ
• Whitehorse City ホワイトホース市って、どんなところ？
• ホワイトホース市のホームページ・松戸市紹介ページ Matsudo Sister City

Every year on our anniversary date, May 12, we hold a Green Tree Day with Whitehorse at one of the elementary schools within our city! Both of our cities plan an anniversary tree at the same time, and through an online video call we talk with our Whitehorse friends and even open the floor to the elementary school students to speak with Mayor of Whitehorse and get a taste of international and cross-cultural communication. (Picture Caption: GTD online video call at Tokiwadaira Daisan Elementary School, 2019)

毎年、記念日となる5月12日に、市内の小学校で開催！両市同時に記念植樹とオンライン会談を行って、児童が国際交流や異文化に触れる機会となっています。（写真は、2019年に常盤平第三小学校で行ったオンライン会談の様子）

The “English Speech Contest,” a competition that began for the 10th anniversary of our sister city relationship. High school students in Matsudo prepare their own speeches in English, and then present them to an audience. The winner of the contest has the opportunity to visit Whitehorse as a Matsudo representative on the Sister City Delegation Program!

姉妹都市締結10周年記念でスタートしたコンテスト。高校生が自らの主張を英語で話します。入賞者は、市の代表としてホワイトホース市への姉妹都市等派遣に参加できます！

Every year, middle school and high school students from Matsudo visit Whitehorse, where they experience student life at a local school and home life through a homestay. Through these experiences, friendship, on both an individual and sister city level, blossoms and burgeons.

毎年、松戸市内の中高生をホワイトホース市に派遣。現地の学校での授業体験やホームステイを通じて、友好を深めています。