Sister City Program
The establishment of Sister City relationships serves to promote friendship, co-operation and cultural exchange between two communities and acts as a core for community exchange and contact between ordinary citizens.
2012 Manly/Odawara Student Exchange
Manly Council's Sister Cities Committee invites students to complete the application form provided if interested in being a participant on the annual Japanese student exchange programme to Odawara City this year. For further information on the exchange please contact Council's Sister Cities Co-ordinator on (02) 9976 1697.
Download the application form here :
Sister Cities Committee
For dates of upcoming Manly Council Sister Cities events please see the Calendar:
Manly Council's Sister Cities Committee is made up of two Councillors, Japanese language teachers representing local schools, community volunteers and a Council administration staff member, with the function and responsibility to consider all matters relating to the maintenance and establishment of goodwill with Council's established Sister Cities. The Committee reports and recommends to Council. Council’s Sister Cities Committee meet the fourth Wednesday of each month. Functions and responsibilities:
- to create goodwill and better understanding between the peoples of the world through 'people to people' contact
- to foster international understanding
- to consider all matters relating to the maintenance and establishment of goodwill with Council's established Sister Cities
- to contribute towards the growth of understanding and co-operation between the peoples of different nations through promoting close interchanges in the fields of education, culture, the arts, sport and commerce, by:
- promoting community awareness of the existence of Sister City affiliations
- promoting community awareness of the objectives of the Sister City affiliations
- fostering the exchange of information, literature and people between the respective communities
- to act as a nucleus and co-ordinating body to establish an on-going programme of liaison with Sister City affiliates
- to co-ordinate the establishment of contacts in respective communities through dissemination of literature, introduction of people with common interest and to seek financial assistance and sponsorship to promote the objectives of the Sister Cities affiliations.
Council’s Sister Cities Coordinator can be contacted on (02) 9976 1697.
Sister City Relationships
- TAITO KU – is Manly Council’s SISTER CITY in Japan
- ODAWARA – is Manly Council’s FRIENDSHIP CITY in Japan
- JING’AN – is Manly Council’s SISTER CITY in China
- BATH United Kingdom – historical connection/sister ‘twinning city’ relationship
- HAEUNDAE GU, PUSAN – is Manly Council’s SISTER CITY in South Korea
- YEONGDO-GU, BUSAN - is Manly Council's FRIENDSHIP CITY in South Korea
- GUNNEDAH – is Manly Council’s FRIENDSHIP CITY and is situated North West of Sydney in the Upper Namoi Valley NSW
- CITY OF SELMA Selma, California (inactive)
Taito Ku
Manly and Taito Ku formed a Sister City relationship in 1982. Taito Ku is one of the 23 wards of Japan's capital city Tokyo.
The idea to form a Sister City relationship between Manly and Taito Ku was proposed in 1980 by Japanese artist Masami Yamada on the occasion of his first exhibition held at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum. The suggestion was quickly followed up by Taito Ku City officials who visited Manly in 1981.
Visits of children, students, bands, choirs, orchestras, welfare groups and community groups between the two cities have all been part of the relationship.
Odawara
Manly and Odawara formed a Friendship City Relationship in 1990.
A reciprocal student exchange programme is held each year with the Tokimeki International School in Odawara.
Manly and Odawara City Japan celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their Friendship City Relationship at a function at Manly Council in August 2010. During the ceremony Mayor Jean Hay handed Mayor Kato a National Award won by Manly Council’s Sister Cities Committee for the project involving the handover of a sailors diary that Manly and 
Odawara shared. Mayor Kato’s visit to Manly coincided with the annual student exchange programme.
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Manly students outside Odawara Castle 2011
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Odawara students and chaperones visit Odawara Close in Fairlight, for the annual tree planting ceremony.
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Jing’an
Manly and Jing’an formed a sister city relationship in 2000. A reciprocal student exchange programme was established with students visiting Manly and Jing’an alternate years.
Manly and Jing’an Shanghai China celebrated the 10th Anniversary of their Sister City Relationship in October 2010.
Bath
Manly has longstanding historical links to Bath. Captain Arthur Phillip, who named ‘Manly’, was a resident of Bath and was the first colonial governor of New South Wales.
Manly Council has hosted regular cricket matches with the Lansdown Cricket Club from Bath since 1988 with the eighth visit to Manly in March 2005, however, no cricket match was played on this occasion.
Haeundae Gu, Pusan
The Sister City Relationship with Haeundae Gu, Pusan in Korea was established in 1994. (inactive at present)
Yeongdo-gu, Busan
Yeongdo-gu Friendship Relationship was established on 29 May 2009. The agreement is based upon the shared desire to pursue friendly relations and promote cooperation and understanding.
A delegation from Manly’s Friendship City of Yeongdo-gu South Korea visited Manly 1 - 7 October 2010. The visit of Mayor Eo and a delegation of 6 enabled the visitors to enjoy the Manly Jazz Festival and hold discussions for future projects and exchanges.
Gunnedah
The Friendship Relationship with Gunnedah was established in 2005. Gunnedah and Manly share a famous citizen, poet Dorothea Mackellar, who was a resident of both communities. Gunnedah is 478 kilometres North West of Sydney and as 'Koala Capital of the World' has one the largest and healthiest Koala colonies in Australia.
Bilateral exchanges between our two communities is envisaged including education, environmental management, sport, literature and the arts.
A new exchange programme with Manly’s Friendship City of Gunnedah was held from 8 – 11 October 2010. This new project, in collaboration with Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club saw 6 young people from Gunnedah introduced to Manly’s beach culture. The ‘bush to beach’ project included beach activities/lifesaving/water safety and basic first aid/resuscitation and skills training, and team building exercises forming a large portion of the exchange, plus local and Sydney sightseeing.
Manly to Gunnedah ‘Beach to Bush’ student exchange programme
Manly Council’s Sister Cities Committee students (boys and girls) to visit its Friendship City of Gunnedah in NSW for the first ‘Beach to Bush’ Student Exchange Programme from Monday 15th to Thursday 18th August 2011. The result was a great learning experience had by all.
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Gunnadah, NSW. "Koala Capital of the World"
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