Sister Cities

Cairns Regional Council has been recognised for its commitment to its international bonds at the Sister Cities Australia National Awards.

Cairns has seven Sister Cities – Lae, Papua New Guinea; Minami, Japan; Oyama, Japan; Riga, Latvia; Sidney, Canada; Scottsdale, USA; and Zhanjiang, China.

A project that brought all of those cities together in artistic expression received the Single Project Award at the recent presentation.

Sister Cities Program chairman Cr Alan Blake – who accepted the award on Council’s behalf last month – said the Fibres of Life project asked representatives from each city to create 10 fibre-based works that were sent to Cairns and displayed together at the Tanks Arts Centre.

“We received exhibition pieces from all of our Sister Cities, using techniques such as quilting, basket-making and weaving,” Cr Blake said.

“A further 20 items were contributed by Cairns residents – many by members of Cairns Spinners and Weavers, which assisted as curator of the exhibition, and the Visual Arts Society of Cairns.”

The Fibres of Life project followed on from successful visual art projects in the previous two years, featuring ceramic works and a photographic display respectively.

Mayor Val Schier a new Sister Cities Advisory Committee in 2008 saw visual arts as a common ground to unite the cities.

“We saw this as a means to improve communication links between Cairns and our Sister Cities and to encourage participation in broader international activities,” Cr Schier said.

Cr Schier said Council worked hard to foster the relationships established through the Sister Cities program.

“It’s a wonderful program that boosts our relationship with other countries and provides opportunities to learn about the cultures and lifestyles of our Sister Cities,” Cr Schier said.

“When we can bring all of Sister Cities together, it becomes a celebration of international friendship.
“Cairns is an international city, with a multicultural resident population and tourists gathered from across the globe.

“We aim to be a positive global citizen and Sister Cities plays a large role in achieving that.”