On Sunday, November 14thVice-Mayor of Culver City, Mehaul O'Leary and Culver City Sister City Committee, Co-Chair of the
Culver City – Lethbridge relations, Natalie Shaby will be arriving in Lethbridge. They are coming specifically to landmark our
longstanding twinning relationship (1989) and to express congratulations to our newly elected City Council and Mayor Dodic.
We as well expect Mayor Michael Winters along with a city administration staff member from the City of Great Falls to join
us on November 14th.
On November 15, we will all attend at the City Hall and will go before City Council where we will show case our twinning relations
and stress to City Council the importance of our Sister City friendships and solicit their support for our continue efforts.
Vice-Mayor O'Leary and Mayor Winters are highly regarded by the Twinning Society for their willingness to participate in this
display of extending the hand of friendship across the borders!
Please welcome these important representatives from Culver City and Great Falls to Lethbridge.
More details to follow on reception and itinerary
2010 is promising to be a challenging year, we have a full slate before us…
Old friends drop in to say "hi"
November 15, 2010 - Lethbridge Herald
Farewell reception for Mayor Bob in the City Hall
On October 12, 2010 a Farewell reception for Mayor Bob was held in the City Hall reception atrium.
The venue was packed to capacity as well wishers gathered to celebrate with Mayor Bob as he turns the corner into retirement.
A few tasteful roasts were extended by long time associates in business, administration and various levels of government both provincially and federally.
Of particular note, all those who spoke all referred sincerely to their relationship with Mayor Bob as a trust friend and a "mentor" in many instances.
Some spoke, holding back tears, while others took the opportunity of presenting gifts.
(A watch from the Provincial Government – Hon. Greg Weadick, and a "Key to the University" as presented by Chancellor Davidson)
Lethbridge Twinning Society members were out in full force to celebrate with Mayor Bob! (Dick, Harold, Warren, Betty, Carol, Fran, Rolanda, Ruth, Maisie).
Mayor Bob, never too busy to stop by and chat with friends and well wishers. ( We are gonna miss you Mayor B.!)
Betty and Maisie, two wonderful and charter members of the Lethbridge Twinning Society, enjoying coffee at the celebration.
Members of the Lethbridge Twinning Society make representation at the celebration, occupying an entire row of seats!
One of many celebration cakes served to those in attendance.
It was wonderful to hear Alderman Wickersham, during his presentation, speak so highly regarding the efforts of the Lethbridge Twinning Society and particularly of
his and Mayor Bob's recent visit to Twin City, Timashevsk, Russia.
The Japanese Film Festival
On October 10, 2010 the Japanese Film Festival was hosted by the Japanese
Consulate (Calgary). This Festival was held at the Calgary
Kensington Theater. The event featured classical Japanese films. Members
of the Lethbridge Twinning Society attended on Saturday evening watched the
film, "The Battery".
We were most pleased to have visiting "Exchange Professor" Ken Hirano from
Hokkai Gakuen University (Sopparo, Hokkaido, Japan) join us on the trip to
Calgary. Ken will be teaching at the University of Lethbridge until the end
of December, 2010. He plans other areas of Alberta, including
Canmore and Banff before leaving.
Pictures reflect Ken standing in front of the venue for the Japanese Film
Festival, the Kensington Theatre and Ken with Jeremy Davies, Assistant to
the Consul Information and Culture (Japanese Consulate - Calgary).
The film festivals are a wonderful opportunity of enjoying and appreciating
the Japanese culture through the media of film drama. Cudo's to the
Consulate of Japan for hosting the event!
Our fond farewell to Mayor Bob
October 07, 2010.
Carol and Harold paid a visit to Mayor Bob to bid our fond farewell to Bob
on a private basis. On behalf of Yasuko Murayama (Towada City City,
Japan) we presented Mayor Bob with a hand work "Japanese Caligraphy"
mastered by Yasuko. The Caligraphy symbol is "Raku" which translated into
English means "Joy". Truly the fitting blessing for Mayor Bob as he
transitions to retirement.
It was in deed sad to be in Mayor Bob's office now void of his
collection of treasures and memorabilia. The warm and friendly welcome
we received was however familiar to us and will be truly missed.
The shoes that any of the Mayoralty candidates on slate will have to fill
are truly large. We are most hopeful that whom ever the new Mayor will be
on October 18, 2010 that the vision of Mayor Bob's for international peace,
good will and friendship will be maintained and supported though the
Lethbridge Twinning Society.
Seiichi and Yasuko Murayama Visit to Canada
Seiichi and Yasuko Murayama at the Edmonton Legislative grounds at
the site of the monument instilled commemorating 80 years of
Canadian/Japanense relations.
On August 23, 2010Seiichi and Yasuko Murayama from Towada City City arrived at
the Edmonton International Airport. This was Yasuko's third visit to see
us. This was Seiichi's first visit to Canada. Yasuko was a member of the
very first delegation from Towada City City to visit Lethbridge (1991) since then
so much has developed as a result of our friendship aggreement. Yasuko was
instrumental along with then President Dr. Kawamura in solidifying our
Official Twinning Relationship.
Read and see more photos of Seiichi and Yasuko's visit on the Towada City City page.
Visit of the President of the Towada City Association for International
Relations
On August 20, 2010 President of the Towada City Association for International
Relations (T-AIR) Mr. Haruo Shirayama and Ms. Miura from Towada City City
visited Canada and Lethbridge! Their short stay was filled with interesting
sights and the opportunity of seeing Lethbridge and Southern
Alberta for their first time. Lethbridge Twinning Society members welcomed
the Towada City City delegation with their exceptional hosting attributes.
Public Relations Director, Carol took the opportunity of presenting
President Shirayama with the "Hands of Friendship"
Memorial.
We were so fortunate to have the Command Sisters, (Charlotte and Sarah) from
Spruce Grove come to Lethbridge and perform to members of the Lethbridge
Community.
Members of the Lethbridge Twinning Society first met the Command Sisters
during the annual conference of the Alberta/Japan Twinned Municipalities
Association in Stony Plain, in July of this year. At that time, Carol
invited them to Lethbridge!
The girls were up bright and early Saturday Morning (August 28th)
and presented an excellent performance at the Westside Community
Church - Pancake Breakfast. It was a cool morning, the girls hands were numb
from the cold, but that never stopped their warm hearts from sharing their
talents with us! Thanks so much to the church for hosting the Command
Sisters and allowing them to perform during their
Pancake Breakfast. In attendance at the breakfast were many residents, our
MLA Greg Weadick and some members of the media. The girls are aways welcome
back to Lethbridge, and we truly wish them our very best in their gifted
talents and may their musical endevours be richly blessed!
The Command Sisters and Revernd Bert Faulkner - Westside Community Church
Charlotte and Sarah - Doing what they love to do - perform!
Singing with passion!
Twinning Society member, Melissa joins other Twinning Society members at the event
The Command Sisters parents, Rene and Karen along with Twinning
Society Director for Public Relations, Carol along with
residents of the community enjoy the wonderful pancake breakfast and the
great entertainment.
A young groupie enjoys the performance!
Visit from ZunYiu City, China
NEWS FLASH!!!!
19 August 2010: New article about the visit in Lethbridge Herald.
Society members were very excited to welcome a six person delegation from
ZunYiu City, China to Lethbridge on August 09 through 11. The "Whirlwind"
visit was very successful, the tight but expansive schedule was met, and the
delegation were well satisfied with what they saw. Charlie Wu, who acted as
the delegation guide and interpreter lives in Beijing, China however has
lived in Vancouver, BC a number of years ago. Charlie related that the
delegation felt "more relaxed in Canada" This as soon as they arrived at
the Calgary, airport. This was particularly noted by the only lady in the
delegation, Gan JinPing. They also agreed that His Worship, Mayor Tarleck
was a man who was most sincere, and they sensed that he truly has a heart
for international relations and extending friendship to delegations such as
theirs. They said that there isn't a Mayor around who doesn't say he or she
is internationally minded, and welcomes, international friendship.....but
these are only words.... In Mayor Tarleck's, they found his actions show
and mean he is truly devoted to international peace and friendship! Of
course we know this, but it is great to have it expressed to us, first hand!
A huge thank you for our society members who joined in to welcome the
delegation and took part in some or all of the activities. SPECIAL thank
you to Danny at New Dynasty who had his cooks prepare a special meal for us,
he had the meal "seasoned" to the taste of the region that the delegation is
from in China! It was absolutely, delicious! We are very happy to have
answered the request form our friends in Culver City by extending an
invitation and hosting for the delegation!
Lethbridge Twinning Society Members welcome Chinese delegation to Lethbridge
Gan JinPing President, YuQing County People/s Congress enjoys a Canadian tradition, Tim Horton's coffee and a donut!
Harold and Guo JianYim, Vice President, ZunYi City People's Congress – in front of Banff Springs Hotel
Culver City , Califronia Director, Micheal Bennett and Gan JinPing in Calgary
Guo JianYim receives an official "White Hat" welcome at the Calgary International Airport on the delegation arrival
Welcome to Lethbridge – Asuto Arao!
On July 16, 2010 Asuto ARAO arrived in Lethbridge to begin a study session in English at "Flexible Learning Systems".
L-R Alderman Rajko Dodic, His Worship, Mayor Bob Tarleck, Asuto Arao, Towada City City, Japan,
Alderman Tom Wickersham – Visiting guest from Timashevsk, Russia, Julia Pavlova
For more information on the visit, please see the Towada City City page of this web site.
Alberta/Japan Twinned Municipalities Association (A/JTMA) conference, Stony Plain
On July 13 and 14 the
Alberta/Japan Twinned Municipalities Association(A/JTMA)conference was held in Stony Plain, Alberta.
Our members, Carol, Terri, Cheryl and Harold attended. The conference was a very special event as
the celebration of 40 years of Alberta, Hokkaido relations were recognized.
A very sizable delegation from Hokkaido, Japan were in attendance. The conference was a time to meet with members of communities
throughout Alberta who also engage in twinning relations with Japan. Stony
Plain is an incredbible town, they are famous for their many murals that
adorn the town. The murals are specific in themes, recognizing various
aspects of the town's history. The bigger than life size murals are ture
works of art, vibrant colours in great detail. In particular and most
prestigious is the mural that is depicted at the Stony Plain, Town Office.
This is a mural in recognition of the twin relations that Stony Plain has
with Chiao, Japan. If you have not have the opportunity of joining us at
an A/JTMA conference, next year the conference will be in Hinton!
Please plan to attend.
Ambassador Trip to Russia
On July 8th, our Director for Timashevsk, Russia relations, Kyle Pereverseff led a delegation to visit our Russian twin City. The visit was designed to be relationship building and to strengthen the ties that we have established over the years. Kyle truly represented the Society in stellar fashion and extended the "Hands of Friendship" not only in practical sense but also by presenting the memorial "Hands of Friendship" that now all of our three twin cities have been officially presented! Great work Kyle, and you have done the Society well in your actions and deed.
Picture: (L-R) Mayor Bob Tarleck, Andrey Soshalskiy, Kyle Pereverseff and Alderman Tom Wickersham.
As they prepare for their first time visit to Russia and Timashevsk! Andrey (Russian National and former resident of Moscow,
provided "tips" on traveling in Russia... "Don't drink the water... do drink the Vodka!"
Thank you very much Andrey for your assistance and helpful information as the delegation was quite unsure what to expect during their journey!
May 15, the Society hosted a fund raising Bar B Que at Save on Foods. The
weather was great, and the opportunity of visiting with eachother was a
bonus. The Bar B Que was successful and will assist us in the everyday
opperations of the Society. The volunteers of the Society were able to
assist are greatly appreciated! Also, appreciated is Save on Foods who have
so graciously allowed us to host the Bar B Que at the store as well, they
donated 50% of our supplies!
2010 Ice Breaker Road Race
Great Falls, Montana, April 25th
Once again the Lethbridge Twinning Society had a presence at the Great FallsIce Breaker Road Race.
The skies were clear, but it was cold and indeed
there was ice to be broke! It is always great to visit with the good people
in Great Falls. It was also great to visit with Bob Harris again, Bob just
keeps the bonds of friendship strong and it is encouraging to have champions
like Bob pulling for our friendship ties!
Lethbridge and Great
Falls has a working Friendship established between the Lethbridge Twinning
Society (LTS) and the Great Falls Commission on International Relationships
(ACIR).
This year we met Lloyd Buzzell (Lt. Col. Lloyd Buzzell, 341st Operations Support Squadron commander - Malmstrom Air Force Base)
He stated that he would like to invite our members to the base and he would
provide a tour of their operation for us. This is a welcome
invitation, and hopefully we can organize such a visit for our members in
the near future.
December 2009 - January 2010: Russian Students Visit to Lethbridge
The Russians…they came…they saw…they learned…they became part of our families and then unfortunately they had to leave back for home. The eight weeks that the five students from Timashevsk , Russia were here in Lethbridge went incredibly fast. They arrived at the beginning of December and were here during our Christmas and New Years celebrations. Each of the students were hosted by most gracious and loving families. If only one characteristic of the visit was to be identified, that would be "adaptation". The students had continual adaptation to contend with, the language, foods, schedules, even the weather. We heard time and time again that although they were from Russia …."What is it with all this "winter" …snow and cold!" In fact, we learned, Timashevsk is really quite temperate in weather being in the Southern Region of Russia, near the massive Black Sea area. The arrangement for the students to attend classes at Immanuel Christian High School were excellent. The students were able to travel to school on the school bus system, this in itself was a educational experience for them. For those of us who road the school bus we know just how intense these bus rides can be sometimes!
Principal, Rob vanSpronsen at Immanuel Christian High School provided the students with excellent opportunities whereby the students were included in all activities at the school including the physical education, library studies and the academic studies.
Host families made this all possible, and a heartfelt thank you to: Alderman Tom and Arline Wickersham; Dana and Marilee Terry and their children Camilla, Colum, Anneli and Adrienne; Keith and Elisa Wickersham and their children, Tamara and Brooklyn ; Harold and Cheryl Pereverseff and their children, Warren, Alexander and Quinn.
The students made many friends both at school, in their host families and at the Victory Church where they attended services along with their host families. Many hours were shared with the families and students playing board games, and a game called "Mafia"!
Visits to Waterton National Park , Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, The Galt Museum, Indoor water slides, Fort Whoop Up and other local attractions kept the students busy and entertained during their visit. Some of the students even went to Edmonton with their host families where they visited the West Edmonton Mall, the Alberta Legislature and some really neat restaurants.
Members of the Society, went out of their way to support the students visit, City Council and in particular Mayor Bob provided very warm greetings and welcomed the students to Lethbridge . MLA, Greg Weadick along with MLA Bridgett Pastoor made the effort to make the student visit special. MP Rick Casson invited the students to his office and spent some time with them.
Marisa Boles and Marilee Terry assisted the students in learning a song "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" and once learned the students sang this at various venues around Lethbridge , including before City Council.
Tatiana Ponomareva the student's teacher from Timashevesk, kept in contact with us during the visit of the students. She had ensured that they arrived here safely as she had escorted them, and she as well came to meet them in Calgary on January 31, to ensure their safe return home.
The very definite possibility of some students from Lethbridge visiting Timashevsk is being considered. For now, a delegation visit of Mayor Bob Tarleck, Alderman Tom Wickersham and Lethbridge Twinning Society Director for Timashevsk Relations, Kyle Pereverseff, are scheduled to visit Timashevsk (July 08, to July 18, 2010)
Great Falls, Montana, April 25th
