Council Marks 30th Anniversary with Sister City Sanyo-Onoda Japan
Published 13 September 2022
The Sister City relationship between Sanyo-Onoda Japan and the Moreton Bay Region has reached its 30-year anniversary with the occasion marked via a virtual ceremony to commemorate the relationship and transition from an official Sister City to a revised Friendship City arrangement.
Respective Mayors, Mayor Fujita Goji (Sanyo-Onoda) and Mayor Peter Flannery (Moreton Bay Regional Council) were joined by guests and dignitaries from both regions to sign the revised agreements and discuss the many benefits the agreement has had over the years.
‘’During our 30-year relationship, our region has gone through huge change. Sanyo-Onoda initially started the sister-city relationship with Redcliffe City Council. In 2012, Redcliffe joined two other councils to become the Moreton Bay Regional Council.
We are now the third largest council in Australia. We cover more than 2,000 sq km, have more than 300 km of coastline and estuaries, and 3,000 hectares of parks. Our population growth continues also. Currently we have 480,000 residents, and we forecast that number to be around 700,000 by 2041.
Importantly, we are becoming more diverse with that growth – 20% of our population was born overseas. And although we have grown, adapted and become bigger, relationships remain at the heart of our focus. And so, I am excited and honoured to be renewing our commitment to Sanyo-Onoda so that we continue to develop, grow, and share our beliefs, knowledge, and vision for our collective future.
I am thrilled to be embarking on this journey with Mayor Fujita and our friends in Sanyo-Onoda. As we both grow and thrive, we can do this as partners.
Relationships are critical in everything we do – as individuals, as families, as businesses and as councils. And we value our relationship with Sanyo-Onoda and the energy and commitment shown over the past 30 years’’ said Mayor Flannery.
During the ceremony, Mayor Peter Flannery gifted Mayor Fujita Goji a plaque of two pieces of Queensland Red Cedar which unique and abstract shape symbolises a view of “two friends reaching for the sky”. The two pieces of wood symbolise our shared future, and of reaching for that future together. Brendale based local business GiftU had the wood encased in resin in the colour of which reflects the teal of the Sanyo-Onoda flag and emblem.
Sanyo-Onoda has a long history with the ceramics industry and presented the Moreton Bay Region with a gift by a local company Class Glass. With the aim of developing glass culture, in 2022, the city worked with a glass artist living in Sanyo-Onoda and launched a brand called “Class Glass”. This gift was created by Makoto NISHIKAWA, one of the glass artists living in Sanyo-Onoda and the souvenir is engraved with characters that mark the 30th anniversary of the friendship.
The objective of the friendship city relationship between the two regions has had a significant positive influence on the communities involved. The relationship aims to:
- an exchange of information and the appreciation of the operations and governance of local government authorities.
- visits to sister cities/friendship cities by individuals and groups.
- exchanges and communications between educational institutions, sporting bodies, clubs, societies, or groups with common interest in sister/friendship cities.
- exchanges of arts, crafts and educational material between schools and other groups.
It is intended that all initiatives undertaken under the Friendship Relationship will be directed towards strengthening the communities environmental, social, and cultural principles within our respective jurisdictions.
‘’We have a very exciting decade ahead of us in the lead up to the 2032 Olympics. We will be hosting Olympic events in the Moreton Bay Region.
We also have an exciting decade of growth and opportunities and a range of actions on the environment, community, and economy among others. We would be delighted to share our strategies with Sanyo-Onoda.
I want to thank Mayor Fujita and your team in Sanyo-Onoda for joining us virtually to mark the 30th anniversary and look forward to visiting in person in the future.’’