Celebrating Sisters

LAST Saturday I had a job at Willow Grove and my trip took me within half a kilometre of my first school at ‘Yalungah’.
My long-time memories of those first school days, besides playing with plasticine, are of listening each morning to Grade 8 children reading newspaper reports about the war.
Our teacher’s husband was a pilot in the war and I recall the stress of that tragic time.
I could not resist a short diversion on my way home to check out the site and was surprised to see the old building still fairly intact, albeit suffering from wear and tear because of neglect.
Last Sunday, Sister Cities Day, I attended the official launch of the Casey Wall of Global Friendships at the Balla Balla Community Centre in Cranbourne.
River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith officially opened the wall and presented 10 volunteers with awards in recognition of the work for the friendship group.
The wall is an outdoor community space which acknowledges Casey’s diverse cultural community and global friendships and will feature a collection of inscribed plaques from different ethnic groups settled in the City of Casey.
This time the message was of peace.
I experienced real pleasure at seeing so many people of different cultures, many in national dress, who came to celebrate the official opening of the friendship wall.
The feeling I had was of sharing the obvious pride and joy among the people present.
Cr Smith said Sister Cities Day was celebrated around Australia and was an opportunity for people to reflect on the positive benefits of sister city relationships.
“We enjoy Sister City and friendship links with Berwick – upon – Tweed in England, Springfield, Ohio, USA, and Ermera in East Timor. “The aim is to improve peaceful coexistence and why not work for world peace,” he said.
Springfield Ward councillor Sam Aziz said people from 163 countries lived in the City of Casey.