SOAP CELEBRATES 2008
SOAP Central Coast celebrated 2008 with an end of year function at the Central Coast Leagues Club's Yume Japanese restaurant. 

While enjoying the food prepared by the entertaining chef, SOAP members raised a glass for the year 2008 - a busy year for SOAP with various events and visits.

SOAP Central Coast celebrates its ten year anniversary in 2009 and is committed to strengthening the bonds of friendship between the Central Coast and Japan.

TENNIS TOUR TO JAPAN
Members of the SOAP-Central Coast Tennis Academy delegation visiting Japan in September-October 2008 had such a wonderful time, they can’t wait to return.

Tour Leader David Graham said meeting Mayor Tada in his office was an exciting experience. He made everyone feel so comfortable and presented each of them with a gift.

Time spent at Hotaka Resort was another highlight of the tour and the staff could not have done any more for the delegation to make their stay more enjoyable. Tateyama and Kurobe Dam was also an experience with all the different types of transportation and there were plenty of steps to negotiate. 

Both Hashimoto-san and Fukao-san made the group feel very welcome during their stay in Tama City and took them sightseeing to Mt Takao - once again many steps to climb. David thinks they wanted to make the Central Coast group tired before they played tennis the next day. It certainly worked.  

Sendai was just as unbelievable. The group did not get to play tennis due to the weather but it was an enjoyable time and many friendships were established. Other highlights included meeting Bonsai Master Kobayashi-san, sightseeing at Matsushima Bay, Kyoto and Disney Sea.

MEMBERS OF SOAP TAMA CITY VISIT CENTRAL COAST
Our friends from SOAP Tama City (near Tokyo) visited the Central Coast in September 2008. As well as meeting with Central Coast friends, the small delegation of four met up with friends living in Newcastle and Sydney.

The group also enjoyed walking around the Australian Springtime Flora Festival, the Australian Reptile Park, the Gosford-Edogawa Commemorative Garden, Norah Head Lighthouse and the spectacle of pelican-feeding at The Entrance.

At the welcome dinner hosted by SOAP Central Coast, members even experienced a traditional tea ceremony, performed by Fukao-san. It truly was a special evening.

During their trip, the Tama City group also visited the Hunter Valley vineyards and Newcastle, took a ride on the Stockton Ferry and saw the sights of Sydney.

WEBSITE LAUNCH
SOAP’S website was launched by Mayor of Edogawa, Masami Tada, at Central Coast Tourism’s Gateway Centre, Mt Penang Parklands, on 28 July 2008.

The launch was attended by members of the visiting Edogawa and Nitra delegations, in town to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Gosford’s sister city relationships with Edogawa, Japan and Nitra, Slovakia.

SOAP Chairman Tony Sansom said: “Not only will the website further strengthen the relationship with Edogawa Japan, it will also create a greater understanding of the different cultures and the opportunities between the Central Coast and Japan".

At the launch, the visiting delegation members were presented with samples of another type of Central Coast soap, from the local Billy Goat Soap Company. 

Mayor Tada also met members of the SOAP - Central Coast Tennis Academy delegation who will be visiting Edogawa in September 2008.

EDOGAWA YOUTH WING LEADERS
Each year, students from an Edogawa school visit Gosford as part of the Edogawa Youth Wing Program. The students attend school and stay with local families. In July 2008, SOAP members hosted a dinner with the Youth Wing’s two leaders – Noboru Hiyama of Edogawa City Office and Yasuo Uchiyama, Principal of Edogawa Nishikasai Junior High School.

NITRA JOINS WEBSITE
While SOAP is an organisation building relationships between Australia and Japan, Nitra City’s Mayor is keen to know more about the organisation. Mayor of Nitra City, Jozef Dvonc, became interested in the website after attending the launch with Edogawa Mayor Masami Tada. Both Nitra and Edogawa are sister cities of Gosford.

And, while Gosford is sister city to Edogawa and Nitra, the bonds between Edogawa and Nitra have certainly strengthened in recent times. Mayor Dvonc also officially invited SOAP’s Chairman and Central Coast Tourism’s CEO to visit Nitra in the near future.  For more information, visit the city's website.  The link is listed on our "Links" page.

AUSTRALIAN SISTER CITIES ASSOCIATION 2008 CONFERENCE
Gosford City Council hosted the Australian Sister Cities Association Conference in July 2008 at the Mantra Resort Ettalong. A number of SOAP members were proud to support the conference as volunteers. The 2009 conference will be held at Tamworth, NSW.

DAIICHI JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT EXCHANGE
A group of year 8 and 9 students from Nihon University, Daiichi Junior High School (Sumidaku, Tokyo) arrived on the Central Coast on 27 July 2008. They attended Mckillop Catholic College as exchange students and stayed at Warnervale for two weeks. The photographs at right show the group at Norah Head Lighthouse during a tour of the Central Coast.

AUSTRALIA JAPAN PAVILION
To celebrate the Official Year of Australia Japan Exchange, SOAP coordinated a series of activities which were held over four days at the 2006 Australian Springtime Flora Festival.

A focal point of the activities was the popular Australia-Japan Pavilion. More than 50 representatives from Gosford’s sister city of Edogawa Japan, including Mayor Masami Tada, came to Gosford to be part of the special event. This was the largest sister city activity with the largest Edogawa community delegation since the agreement was signed in 1988. The event included cultural activities, games, workshops, traditional entertainment and business networking.

Bonsai Master Kunio Kobayashi was another special guest at the Australia-Japan Pavilion. He entertained the crowds with a number of bonsai workshops and it was standing room only at each appearance.

INTERNATIONAL VISITS
A delegation of Edogawa residents from the Edogawa Homestay Club visited Gosford in May 2006. The delegation stayed with local families, visited a range of local attractions and made many new friends.

A SOAP delegation of six Central Coast residents visited Edogawa, Tama City and other Japanese cities in September 2005. As well as spending time with friends in Edogawa, the delegation also visited World Expo 2005 held at Aichi. During the World Expo visit, SOAP members were special guests at the Australia Pavilion.

Central Coast Tennis Academy and SOAP sent a delegation of 20 young tennis players and coaches to play a number of matches in Edogawa in April 2005. The delegation also visited other areas of Japan.

A delegation of 14 Central Coast residents visited Edogawa and a number of other Japanese towns and cities in September 2004. Most members of the delegation had not visited Japan before and were delighted to meet several official and community representatives of Gosford’s sister city. The delegation hosted an evening function to acknowledge the strength of the sister city relationship. The function also gave the opportunity to thank Edogawa City for their friendship and hospitality during the visit. From Edogawa, the delegation travelled to Hamamatsu for Pacific Flora – a world expo dedicated to everything floral. Central Coast Tourism was one of the many international exhibitors at the event. As well as the 14 adults, the SOAP delegation also travelled to Japan with four students from Central Coast Grammar School who stayed with host families in Edogawa for two weeks.

In May 2004, 20 members of Edogawa Homestay Club visited Gosford. While building on their language skills by attending English classes, the delegation also visited many attractions in Gosford and stayed with local families. A highlight of this visit was a special demonstration of Japanese traditional art and culture. The talented group of ladies performed the traditional tea ceremony, ikebana, singing, dancing, theatre and origami. It was held in a large community meeting space at Erina Fair Shopping Centre. The event was free and open to everyone. It was a huge success and the first time such a cultural day had been held in such a venue.