Penrith and Fujieda
- 20years -

2004
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
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Perth and Kagoshima
- 30years -

NEW CITY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
AND ANCIENT CAPITAL TIES THAT BIND
THE CITIZENS OF NARA PRODUCE FILM ON POST-WAR SAVIOUR

Father Glynn helped lay the foundation for the strong friendship Japan and Australia share today. The citizens of Nara dearly loved Father Glynn and recently produced a documentary on his story entitled ‘Gonichi ni kakeru, Ai no Tetsudo' (Railway of Love), which was screened in Canberra and other Australian cities last year.

Many events were held in 2001 to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia. Yet in the late 19th century our federation was faced with one of its most difficult decisions, where we would establish our national capital. Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, would not concede to the other being named capital, and therefore it was decided a new city would be built on an empty site halfway between Sydney and Melbourne. The new city was named Canberra, meaning ‘meeting place' in Aboriginal.

Nara, on the other hand, was the bustling capital of Japan over 1300 years ago. Canberra, with its relatively short history, is very proud to have a sister city agreement with an ancient capital steeped in such rich tradition. Few miss the sign by the highway from Canberra Airport into town saying ‘Canberra ? Sister City of Nara', and Australian Capital Territory Government building is also named the ‘Canberra Nara Centre'.

Father Tony Glynn, originally from Lismore NSW, first brought Canberra and Nara together. In 1952 Father Glynn went to Japan in 1952 and established the Tomigaoka Catholic Church in Nara, which worked hard to aid the poor after World War II. Father Glynn also acted as an important goodwill to Japan during this time. It was the philanthropic efforts of Father Lionel Marsden towards Japanese people that inspired young Father Glynn to travel to Japan. Father Marsden was a surviving prisoner-of-war forced to assist construction of the death railway in Burma, who dedicated his final years to post-war aid in Japan.

Father Glynn passed away in 1994, the year after the sister city agreement was made with Canberra. The people of Nara loved and respected the Father so much that, following his death, the citizens came together to make a film about his life. Many Nara citizens donated their time and money to the production of ‘Ai no Tetsudo', directed by Shigeki Chiba and completed in 1998. Australia. The film premiered in Australia at the Southern Cross Japan film festival last year, and screened in Lismore and Sydney as well as Canberra.

Although the memories of the war have long past, all is not completely forgotten. A Japanese garden was constructed on one side of the Lennox Garden on Lake Burley Griffin and was to be named ‘Canberra Nara Peace Garden'. However Australian Returned Servicemen's League voiced their opposition to this name, the word ‘peace' was removed.

Japan and Australia share over 90 sister city agreements today, and enjoy excellent relations. However, we must not forget that our good relations are the result of the courage and determination of many forward-thinking forefathers amidst many struggles over the decades

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