The Shire of Harvey has completed its inaugural delegation visit to the City of Moka.
In 2022, the Shire signed a Friendship City Agreement with Moka, located approximately two hours north of Tokyo.
The Agreement commits to information exchange in areas such as culture and education.
The Shire President, Deputy President, CEO and three Economic Development staff participated in the October visit, alongside two Councillors and a Japanese teacher from Australind Senior High School.
Delegation activities included:
- Visiting the City's new $39 million library and community centre
- Visiting the City's eco and waste management facilities
- Visiting local government administration centres
- Attending a Friendship City symposium with delegations from Japan, Taiwan and the US
- Attending formal local government functions, events and cultural activities
- Visiting schools with education/cultural exchange programs with Harvey Region schools, including an agriculture school connected with Harvey Ag College
Statement from Shire President Michelle Campbell:
“We knew local students were benefitting from education and cultural exchange programs with the City of Moka, so it was affirming to see that Japanese students were also having a lot of fun learning about Australia and the Harvey Region.
“Facilitating strong relationships between the schools in our communities is a key focus of the Friendship City Agreement.
“It’s hard to pinpoint the most valuable aspect of our visit, but I would make a strong case for the tour we took of the City of Moka’s new $39 million library and community centre.
“The Shire is seeking funding to upgrade the Harvey Library, so seeing how a similar project has taken shape was valuable and timely.
“A highlight for our delegation was sharing a two-minute video about our community and the Harvey Region as a visitor destination.
“We had an 800-person audience that included Moka community members and dignitaries from Taiwan and the US.
“The video was short but impactful – dozens of people told us they were ready to book a flight!”