From July 24 to August 2, a delegation of Nagoya high school students were in Australia to visit Nagoya’s sister city Sydney, as well as the Blue Mountains and Jamberoo. CLAIR Sydney provided assistance for the student delegation during their stay in Australia. The students enjoyed homestay and also visited three different schools to experience what school is like in Australia. In addition, they also learned about the wonderful nature, history and culture of Australia.
Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller and Councillor Robert Kok welcomed the students very warmly when they paid a courtesy visit to Sydney Town Hall. In front of an audience that included members of the Sydney-Nagoya Sister City Committee, the students spoke about their experiences in Australia and expressed their sincere gratitude to everyone involved in their trip. Mr Keizo Takewaka, the Consul-General of Japan in Sydney, also gave a welcoming speech at the students’ courtesy visit to Sydney Town Hall. On August 2, before their flight back to Nagoya in the evening, the students visited Taronga Zoo, which is the sister zoo of Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya.
Through meeting new people and having new experiences during their trip, the students were deeply interested in the differences between Australia and Japan, and had first-hand experiences in learning about Australia as a multicultural society. They had many encounters that provided food for thought for their future. We, CLAIR Sydney, would like to continue to collaborate with different organisations in Australia and New Zealand to provide support for Japanese local governments’ sister city and school exchange activities in Australia and New Zealand.
