The CAMROSE BOOSTER, October 14, 2014 – Page 4
Twinning makes impression on Consulate General By Dan Jensen
The Consulate General of Japan in Calgary believes there is a lot of good that can come from twinning relationships like the one involving Camrose and Kamifurano. “You can see the benefits economically but you can also see them in the human to human exchange and the relationships that are developed,” said Ryosaku Tamura after he and his wife, Yoko, were given a tour of Camrose facilities, including Augustana and the performing arts centre Oct. 8. “The young people (from both Kamifurano and Camrose) who have participated in the exchanges over the years have receive the experience of a lifetime.” Tamura expressed his appreciation for the efforts that the people of Camrose have put into strengthening the twinning relationship, which will be 30 years old in 2015. “I have seen many twinning relationships,” he said, “and the one between Kamifurano and Camrose is the one of the strongest. “I hope by visiting today I can add momentum to that relationship.” Tamura received a warm welcome from Mayor Norm Mayer, who feels the twinning relationship has benefitted both Camrose and Kamifurano. “I had the pleasure of going over to Kamifurano to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the town,” said Mayer. “It is a good relationship and a good friendship.” City councillor Max Lindstrand told Tamura at a lunch that the City of Camrose has undertaken many projects to strengthen the relationship with Kamifurano, including the construction of a friendship garden and the addition of a town clock. “It (the clock) is in mothballs right now because the
The City of Camrose and the Camrose Japan Friendship Society welcomed the Consulate General of Japan, Ryosaku Tamura and his wife, Yoko, with a tour of the city and a lunch at the Best Western Plus Camrose Resort Casino. Left to right are Alice Lindstrand, who along with her husband, Max, a City councillor, have been friends to many Japanese visitors, Yoko and Ryosaku, Camrose mayor Norm Mayer, back, left to right, Thomas Midbo, member of the Camrose Japan Friendship Society, Max Lindstrand, and Jason Heise, member of the Camrose Japan Friendship Society.
new City Hall is being built, but I haven’t lost sight of that and we need to get it put back up at some stage,” said Lindstrand. “The town of Kamifurano made a donation to defray the cost, which is maybe 12 feet tall and has two faces. Two of the faces tell the Camrose time and two faces tell Kamifurano time.” Approximately 100 students from Camrose have had the opportunity to travel to Kamifurano and other parts of Japan over the last 30 years, compared to the more than 200 students from Kamifurano have come here. “My direct involvement (with the Camrose and Japan visits) started in 1986 when I was principal of the Camrose Composite High School,” said Lindstrand. “Michiko Rasmussen (who is president of the Camrose Japan Friendship Society) told me there were eight students and a teacher coming from Kamifu-
rano and asked me if I would help in hosting them. We arranged for the host families for them and the teacher stayed in our home.” The first visit of Camrose students to Japan occurred in 1989. “We got some pressure from parents who encouraged us to send students there, so Michiko and myself and another teacher accompanied 30 students,” said Lindstrand. “We were to go to Kamifurano but a volcano was erupting and the time so we had to change our plan and stay on Honshu island. Representatives from Kamifurano came to the airport in Tokyo to greet us.” Another later visit involved 47 students. “I advertised within the school that we were going to do a trip and he had a waiting list,” Lindstrand said. “We didn’t just go to Kamifurano and Oyama (where CCHS is twinned with a junior high and senior
– Photos by Murray Green
high school), but also to a fish market and a shrine in Tokyo and Hiroshima.” The twinning relationship has given the people of Kamifurano and Camrose the chance to better understand each other. Camrosians have been taught how to play traditional Japanese drums, while people from Kamifurano have been given lessons on line dancing. “It has been wonderful to expose our children to the whole range of foods and customs,” said Lindstrand. “Bowing makes more sense than shaking hands, especially during flu season.” In 1999 the City of Camrose and the Battle River School Division were asked if they would provide someone to teach in Kamifurano schools. “Our son (Jon Lindstrand) was the first teacher to go for two years – from
1999 to 2001 – and every year since we have had a teacher from this area living in Kamifurano,” said Lindstrand. They (the teachers) go for two or three years. “The young woman who is there now is a member of the staff at Jack Stuart School.” The twinning relationship between Camrose and Kamifurano makes good sense in that both communities are of the same size and depend heavily on agriculture. “The Alberta government helped us find a match,” said Lindstrand. “In other words, a city that was compatible with Camrose.” Kamifurano is a town in the Japanese prefecture (province) of Hokkaido, which is on the northern tip of Japan. Hokkaido and the Province of Alberta signed an official twinning agreement in 1980.
Fire destroys Sofa’s-Beds and GE Appliances building An early morning blaze razed the Sofa’s-Beds and GE Appliances store on Oct. 11. Camrose Fire Department received the call at 4 a.m. and by the time firefighters arrived, the building was fully engulfed, with flames shooting 30 feet into the air and infringing onto the Professional Building across the street. The firefighters were able to contain the blaze and there were no reported injuries. The Fire Department secured the area for investigation and is expecting to know the cause of the fire this week.