Sister Cities

Introduction

The Sister City movement, as a worldwide concept, came about shortly after World War Two.

National Sister Cities efforts were independently started on many different continents but all had the same goal; to help develop enduring networks of communication between the cities of the world to cut across boundaries and reduce the likelihood of polarisation and conflict among nations.

Program Vision and Mission

Vision: Enrich our community through Sister City relationships.

Mission: Baulkham Hills Sister Cities 355 Management Committee develops and fosters relationships with Sister Cities to grow community understanding, foster goodwill and promote a range of economic, historic, cultural and social engagements.

2008 Sister Cities Golf Day

Sister Cities Golf Challenge 2008 The Annual Sister Cities Golf Day was held on Friday 11 April 2008, at Riverside Oaks.

1st Place (51.25) - Team 10A - Dave Boyton, Dave Elliot, Steve Ryan, Howard Ryan

2nd Place (68.5) - Team 11A - Michael Watt, George Lopez, Jeff Webb, Glynn Richards

Nearest to Pin 4th Hole - Greg Taylor

Nearest to Pin 11th Hole - Pat Cunningham

Longest Drive - Dave Boyton

Overall Shire Winner

1st - Wexford (58.3125)

2nd - Cootamundra (58.9861)

3rd - Baulkham Hills (60.9275)

Our Achievements to Date

To date the following progress in developing these relationships has been identified:

Wexford County, Ireland

A Sister City Agreement with Wexford County, Ireland has been developed;
Exchange visits have been undertaken between Wexford and Baulkham Hills, including a visit in March 2008 where strategic objectives for the next 18 months were considered;
Wexford was involved in Baulkham Hills Shire Bicentenary of the Castle Hill Rebellion and Battle of Vinegar Hill;
Books from the Wexford Library have been sent to Baulkham Hills Shire;
A showcase of Baulkham Hills has been provided to Wexford;
The Driver Awareness Program (RYDA) has been adopted by Wexford and is currently in the process of being rolled out to high schools across Ireland.

Cootamundra, New South Wales

A Sister City Agreement with Cootamundra, New South Wales, has been developed;
Exchange visits have been undertaken between Cootamundra and Baulkham Hills;
School and sporting links have been developed, particularly in the area of Sports Leadership Camps;
Cultural exchange has been initiated through the Art Prize and art exhibitions;
Business links have been developed through trips by business identities and promotional exposure of products and businesses;
Assistance and advice has been provided at the local government level to the Cootamundra Council;
Support has been provided to the Cootamundra Library;
Student exchanges occur as part of the official Australia Day celebrations each year;
Baulkham Hills Sister Cities Committee supports Cootamundra youth delegates attending the annual Australian Sister Cities Conference.

Information on Wexford County, Ireland

Vinegar Hill Wexford Baulkham Hills Shire Council has an international Sister City relationship with the County of Wexford, Ireland.

After community consultation in 2001, Council resolved to approach Wexford County Council to form a Sister City relationship to provide the opportunity for cultural and business exchanges and share in the historical links between the two areas.

The first and only relationship of its kind for Council, the agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by the Mayor and General Manager at Wexford County Council, Ireland, on Saturday, 29 June 2002.

Our Shared Heritage

Baulkham Hills Shire's shared heritage with Wexford County, Ireland, goes back to the 1798 Battle of Vinegar Hill near Eniscorthy in Wexford County where Irish rebels clashed with English troops in a fight for liberty and freedom.

Many rebels who survived the battle were exiled to Sydney as Irish political prisoners and were later involved in the Castle Hill Rebellion and the Battle of Vinegar Hill.

In 2004, a delegation of 50 from Wexford County and other parts of Ireland visited Baulkham Hills Shire for the Bicentenary of the Castle Hill Rebellion and the Battle of Vinegar Hill to commemorate these historic events.

In March 2008, the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and County Manager visited Baulkham Hills and met with the Sister Cities Committee to discuss a range of ongoing activities.

Click here to visit the Wexford County Council website.

Official Sister Cities Visit to Wexford County Ireland - 2006

Clr Sonya Phillips:

The visit to Wexford County, Ireland, was a major step in advancing our relationship with our Sister Cities partner, Wexford County, and that it will generate immediate and medium term benefits as well as many long term benefits for our Shire.

The core purpose of our trip was to advance our own Sister Cities relationship with Wexford County. I was greatly encouraged with the level of enthusiasm and great interest that all sectors of the community of Wexford received our visit.

Our visit was structured in line with the main principles adopted in the Strategic Plan adopted by our Sister Cities 355 Management Committee. Accordingly we met with government leaders, business representatives, educational establishments, sporting groups and community organisations and in all areas were able to heighten their awareness of the Baulkham Hills Shire and to exchange innovative ideas that will be able to advance our Sister Cities relationship. The enthusiasm of our Wexford hosts was contagious and they showed a true eagerness to build and develop future ties with Baulkham Hills and indeed Australia.

A great deal of work went into the planning of the visit and in reality the hard work starts now as we continue to work on the relationship and the initiatives developed during our visit. I greatly appreciated the positive support I received in the lead up to and during the visit. I thank the General Manager and Council staff for the quality of planning, documentation and presentation of the many initiatives and ideas we wanted to share.

The following businesses sponsored various components of the visit. Without their direct support we would not have been able to achieve the level of success that we did:

Riverside Oaks
I C Firth
Mean Fiddler
Castle Towers
Hillside Tavern
Zion Graphics

I have long believed in the value and benefits of the Sister Cities movement worldwide and each day as I hear news of wars, acts of terrorism, incidents of prejudice and intolerance my belief grows stronger.

As I have said the real work starts now as we continue to build on the strong foundations that I feel our visit has set.

Clr Sonya Phillips, 2006

Information on Cootamundra

A Sister Shire relationship was established with Cootamundra Shire on 13 September 1996. Council soon after appointed a community-based advisory Committee to develop initiatives and ideas to form a relationship that would develop each respective Shire.

As part of the Sister Shire relationship, Shire representatives have travelled to Cootamundra for the Wattle Time Festival Art Show and 90th Birthday Celebrations of Sir Donald Bradman. The Sister Shire relationship also involves the inaugural 'student exchange' on Australia Day each year. Representatives from Cootamundra and Castle Hill High Schools travel to their Sister Shire to participate in an official capacity at the Australia Day celebrations.

Click here to visit the Cootamundra Council website.

Baulkham Hills Shire and Cootamundra Youth Sports Leadership Camps

Youth Sports Leadership camps aim to provide personal development and leadership skills for 14 - 18 year olds who show potential within their communities and are nominated by their schools, local Rotary or sporting clubs. Camps are staged over two days and the participants are offered a wide variety of challenges to both enhance their existing skills while nurturing new ones.

A major drawcard of the event is the attendance of elite athletes who participate as camp leaders including Olympic Gold Medallist Mark Kerry and Duncan Armstrong, Australian Netball Star Joanne Morgan, Olympic Swimmer Craig Stevens and Olympian Sarah Ryan.

The first Baulkham Hills Shire Youth Sports Leadership Camp was held in September 2006 and was attended by two representatives from Cootamundra. Last year a Cootamundra Sports Leadership Foundation Camp was held in March 2007 this time with two representatives from Baulkham Hills Shire - Tristan Mares and Jessica Cameron.

Sports represented at the camps include swimming, netball, trampolining, golf, Taekwondo, athletics, soccer, Australian Rules Football and baseball. Some of the leadership challenges offered at the camps include gymnastics, javelin, ultimate Frisbee, aqua aerobics, team building exercises and injury prevention talks.

The second Baulkham Hills Shire Youth Sports Leadership Camp was held on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September 2007. For more information or to become involved in the next Youth Sports Leadership Camp download a nomination form, visit the Hills Shire Sport Inc website at http://www.hillsshiresport.com.au/or contact the President of Hills Shire Sport, Cathy Aird on 0414 639 957.

Baulkham Hills Shire and Cootamundra Youth Sports Leadership Camps Photo Gallery.