Since 1988 Gosford City has enjoyed sister city relationships with Edogawa Japan and Nitra Slovakia.

The primary aim of sister city relationships is to increase the knowledge and appreciation of foreign cultures to members of the community and to encourage the exchange of cultural and sporting information between people and nations.

Gosford City has enjoyed a particularly active relationship with Edogawa engaging in numerous cultural and sporting exchanges.

Citizen of the Year Visits Edogawa

Gosford City's Citizen of the Year Ron Sharpe visited Japan in October 2005 and met with Edogawa Mayor Masami Tada and city officials.

Mr Sharpe was in Japan for other business and wanted to find out more about our sister city and its infrastructure in particular.

Mr Sharpe and his wife Carol were taken on a tour of various projects around the city including an under river car park, a man-made stream from one river to another which allowed for parklands and fishing and they then visited a bike parking area which accommodates 2,500 push bikes at a local railway station.

Left to right: Carol Sharpe, Mayor Tada, Sanae Omori of Edogawa City Office and Ron Sharpe

Mayor Tada with Carole and Ron Sharpe in the Gosford Room at Edogawa City Office

Our Sister Cities Win National Award

September/October 2005 was a very important time for the Gosford-Edogawa sister city relationship.

The big news is Gosford and Edogawa won a national sister cities award. The Australian Sister Cities Association presented the 2005 Award for Overall Program to Gosford-Edogawa at the national conference in Latrobe City, Victoria in September.

The national judges wrote in their summary: "The winner showed a wide spread of involvement across a wide section of their community". They also wrote: "Entries in this category (Overall Program) are the more successful Sister Cities in Australia and should be congratulated".

Some of the sister city activities during 2004-2005 included:

• A visiting delegation from Edogawa Homestay Club held a special demonstration of Japanese traditional art and culture during their visit.
• There were also visits by the Edogawa Youth Wing and the Shin Koiwa Children’s Choir as well as student exchanges involving Central Coast Grammar School.
• Two separate delegations of Gosford residents coordinated by Society of Asian Pacific and the Multi Arts Confederation visited Edogawa.
• In November 2004 the Gosford-Edogawa Commemorative Garden celebrated its ten-year anniversary with a weekend of cultural activities and displays.
• In April 2005 a delegation of 20 young tennis players and officials from Central Coast Tennis Academy and Society of Asian Pacific played a number of matches in Edogawa.
• Also in April Central Coast Harmony Chorus represented Gosford at a Tri-Nations Concert in Edogawa. The concert involved representatives from Gosford and our two sister cities of Edogawa and Nitra Slovakia.
• Earlier this year, nine members of the Edogawa City Assembly and one senior staff member visited Gosford for a two-day tour of the city and various Council facilities.
• Students of Nishikasai Elementary School in Edogawa and Gosford East Public School became ‘pen pals’ in 2004. The schools have since exchanged samples of student work and artwork, photos and Christmas cards.

Gosford Council works closely with the Gosford Sister City Association, Society of Asian Pacific (SOAP) Gosford Branch and Edogawa City to ensure our sister city relationship remains strong and prosperous. All parties are actively involved in the relationship and all are committed to strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two cities.

Gosford Residents Visit Edogawa

Society of Asian Pacific (SOAP) coordinated a visit to Edogawa by a delegation of Gosford residents in September.

The delegation met with Mayor Tada, city officers and members of Edogawa City Assembly who had visited Gosford in April 2005. The group also met with community representatives and friends from previous visits and exchanges.

In October, Gosford City's Citizen of the Year Ron Sharpe also visited Edogawa.

And, also in October, two representatives from Gosford City Council - Lynette Holt and Joe Weston - spent time in Edogawa to learn more about local government in Japan and our sister city in particular. They pair enjoyed Homestay during their visit, toured city facilities and enjoyed overwhelming Japanese hospitality.

Joe Weston, Mayor Tada and Lynette Holt

With Mayor Tada and special guests at the Edogawa Citizens' Festival

Edogawa Youth Wing

During July/August 2005, members of Edogawa Youth Wing were in Gosford for a ten-day stay. The Youth Wing comprised 20 teenage ambassadors who were accompanied by two adult representatives of Edogawa City. Members of the Youth Wing stayed with local families and attended Lisarow High School.

In their first two days, the Youth Wing members met with Mayor Brooks for a civic reception, visited the Australian Reptile Park, Somersby Falls, Bulgandry Aboriginal carvings, Gosford-Edogawa Commemorative Garden, Henry Kendall Cottage and Historical Museum. The students also attended classes at Lisarow High School.

The visit offers an opportunity for many local students and their families to enjoy the sister city experience. It greatly benefits the young people from Gosford as well as those from Edogawa as they learn about the different cultures, build on their language skills and, importantly, make new friends.

In its own special way, this visit by Edogawa Youth Wing continues to strengthen our sister city friendship. Gosford Sister City Association coordinated the visit.

Edogawa City Assembly

In April 2005, Gosford Council hosted its first major delegation of Councillors from Edogawa. Nine members of the Edogawa City Assembly and one senior staff member visited Gosford for a two-day tour of the city and various Council facilities.

The delegation met with Gosford City Councillors and senior management and also attended a business networking function jointly hosted by Council and the Department of State and Regional Development.

The delegation visited the Australian Reptile Park, the Gosford/Edogawa Commemorative Garden, Gosford Council Chambers, the Erina Centre and Library, Papalya Child Care Centre, Peninsula Leisure Centre, Peninsula Community Centre and Theatre, the Bulgandry Aboriginal rock engravings and the Fire Control Centre at Kariong.

Facts on Edogawa

Edogawa City is located in the eastern part of Tokyo Metropolis, bordered with the Chiba Prefecture along the Edogawa River and with Tokyo Bay to the South. It has an area of 49 square kilometres and a population of just over 650,000. Edogawa City has approximately 25,000 businesses operating in the city and seven rivers flow through the city limits. The Gosford-Edogawa Commemorative Garden in Webb Street East Gosford is a gift to the City of Gosford from the people of Edogawa. The garden was officially opened in 1994. The garden is open seven days a week from 9.30 am - 4.30 pm and entry is free.

Facts on Nitra

Nitra is situated 80 kilometres from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia and has a population of approximately 86,000 people. Nitra is well known for its tourism attractions including Nitra Castle, unique flora and fauna and many vineyards.

Nitra is very historic and dates back to the 10th century, in 1930 Nitra celebrated their 900th year of incorporation. Nitra was chosen as Gosford's sister city in an attempt to break down the barriers of fear and ignorance between the east and west, and also for its similarities with Gosford. The sister city committee first visited Nitra in 1987, since then a number of educational exchanges with students have taken place.

For further information contact the Gosford City Sister City Association at PO Box 1353 Gosford NSW 2250.