Friday 1 October 2004

Chairperson's Report 2003/04 - Peter Patterson

The Frankston Susono Friendship Association has had another successful year. We have made many new friends, we continued to promote Japanese Culture and we plans for some forthcoming events including our Japanese Cultural Fair in October.

Thank you to Executive members for their work over the past year. Margaret, the two Bevs, Bill, Michael, Phil, Des, Olivia, Peter and Elleisha. We were joined by two new friends Yoshio Noda and Yoshinori Hashimoto from Australian Arrow. Yoshio has recently returned to his home in Susono. Thanks also to Chris from Frankston Council for her work through the year.

Emma Cater served with us for a while before her new husband whisked her off to Sweden for several years.

We continued to have a circle of friends outside the Executive who contributed in many ways during the year. Thank you to them.

Thanks to Rochelle our Councillor representative for her assistance and input. We are grateful.

Student Exchange


Mariko Kudo and Akane Watanabe from Susono stayed with us for 2 weeks in August 2003

Over the last 12 months both FSFA and SOFA have been coming to terms with the new Victoria Education guidelines for Student Exchange organisations. It has taken some time to work through the implications for our program and the impact particularly for host families.

Natasha Nicol and Hailey Paine spent 9 months in Susono during 2003. Both made a presentation to the FSFA Executive on their return.

We now have guidelines in place for the Student Exchange Scholarship.

Frankston High School visit to Susono


29 students from Frankston High School (23 girls and 6 boys) visited Susono in September 2003. 

 Policy and Procedures Manual


During the year Michael Fuller put together our Policy and Procedures Manual which is a collation of all our documentation. It is an excellent reference source for new members and members taking on new roles. Great work Michael.

 Frankston Sea Festival


Australian Arrow a subsidiary of Yazaki was a gold sponsor to the Frankston Sea Festival, which gave them an opportunity to help promote Frankston Susono Friendship Association and for us to work with Australian Arrow to promote the Association to visitors to the festival. The concept worked extremely well for both organisations and will be become a major promotional vehicle for us in the future. Thanks to Australian Arrow for having us involved and giving us the opportunity to meet Yoshio Noda and Yoshinori Hashimoto. Our links to Australian Arrow lead to us receiving a $12,000 donation from the International Distribution Company. It is planned that this money will be used to help fund the Frankston School Band venture to the 2005 World Expo in Nagoya.

Australian Fair in Susono


A delegation of 10 people from Frankston made the trip to Japan for the 2003 Australian Fair in Susono. The delegation consisted of:

·         Councillor Barry Priestley and his wife Helen,
·         Peter Patterson Chairperson of FSFA
·         Olivia La Combre FSFA Executive member and saxophone player extraordinaire.
·         Christopher Patterson Community Representative and group translator
·         Tom Ellis student from Karingal Park Secondary College
·         Adele Hodson from Frankston High School
·         Maddison Cooper from Patterson River Secondary College
·         Brie-anna Howson & Shaun Matheson from Langwarrin Secondary College

The trip was very successful with very positive feedback from our hosts in Susono.

Australian Language Teachers


During the year we keep amused and infomed of the happenings in Susono and the Harris household. One of our ALT’s Meredith Harris and her husband sent us weekly detailed emails of their experiences. These emails and other tales are forming the basis of a book that Phil has written of the couple’s year in Japan.

FSFA is helping with the recruitment of 3 ALT positions a the moment buy SOFA has indicated that they may ask us to help with all 5 positions they have in Junior High Schools in Susono.

 Australian Garden


Phil Harris left his mark in Susono with the design and construction of an Australian Style garden at Higashi Junior High School in Susono. FSFA made a donation to help cover the costs of the garden’s construction. The Frankston delegation made a visit to the school in November 2003. Well Done Phil.

Mayoral Picnic


FSFA had a stall at the Mayoral Picnic this year and gives us another avenue for promoting our activities.

Presentations to Frankston Council


I made several presentations to the Frankston Council on our activities that we undertake on their behalf. I also provided a briefing to the Mayor and CEO on preparations for the Japanese Cultural Fair.

Yazaki Summer Camps


Australian Arrow hosted almost 200 children of Yazaki staff at two summer camp visits on the 23rd and 30th of March. The children stayed for two days in the Frankston area and included a half day visit to Frankston High School where the Mayor and I welcomed them to Frankston.


2005 World Expo


A proposal has been sent to the State and Federal Governments to put the Youth of Frankston on the World Stage. In conjunction with Peter Sharp, I have proposed that a group musicians at senior high school level to be the nucleus of a delegation to Japan in 2005. The musical group would perform at the World Expo in Aichi Prefecture and at the Australian Fair in Susono. About 45 students would be involved together with support staff and FSFA people making a delegation of about 70 people. The Federal  Government will have a Pavilion at the Expo. Victoria will have a week of celebrations in the last week of June 2005. They have a pavilion that holds about 500 people in which to provide entertainment.

ASCA Conferences


The 2003 ASCA Conference was held Orange in November 2003 and I made a presentation on our activities. The Orange Conference celebrated 40 years of sister city relationships with Japan.

The 2004 ASCA was held in August in Noosa Queensland and FSFA made application for best single project in the ASCA awards. The project related to the Hai! book written by Sue Burnham and based on school life in Susono. Steve Walker and Chris Hodgins represented FSFA at the conference.

Japan Festival at Box Hill


Great work by Bev Hannan for her work on the organising committee of the Japan Festival held in the Box Hill Town Hall on Sunday, 16 May. The Festival attracts many ex pat Japanese and is a great source of exhibitors for our Japanese Fair.

Japanese Cultural Fair


The people of the City of Frankston take are holding their 7th bi-annual Japanese Fair on Sunday 17 October 2004. The fair is a fabulous celebration of all things Japanese and will offer a wide range of visual and interactive experiences of traditional Japanese culture, music, art and craft together together with the wonders of modern Japan with an emphasis on youth interests, technology and food.

The Frankston Susono Friendship Association arranges and runs the Fair on behalf of the Frankston City Council. A contingent of officials and citizens from our sister city of Susono Japan are also coming the Frankston for the celebrations.

 Japanese Speech Contest


Des Dean continues his great work in putting together our annual Speech Contest. It is an important part of our obligation to promote the Japanese language in schools

The Year Ahead


We have another exciting year ahead of us and we look to taking our work in many directions and seek to look for innovative ways to meet our charter.


Thanks again to all of you who helped make things work so well. It was fun, it was invigorating and most enjoyable.