Mr Bruce Miller and Mr Bill West awarded with Foreign Minister’s Commendation

On the 28^th of September, Ambassador Takahashi participated in a splendid ceremony to award the Foreign Minister’s Commendation to former Cowra Shire Mayor Mr. Bruce Miller and current Cowra Shire Mayor Mr. Bill West.　The ceremony was taken place as part of events accompanying the Cherry Blossom Festival hosted by the Cowra Japanese Garden and Culture Centre and co-hosted by the Embassy of Japan with the participation of Acting Consul General in Sydney Matsuo. The awards were bestowed in recognition of the enormous contribution both mayors of the City of Cowra, located in the State of New South Wales, have made in promoting mutual understanding between Japan and Australia.

Ambassador Takahashi paid tribute to the 25 years of activity that both mayors have engaged in since 1994, in particular praising their efforts in maintaining the Japanese War Cemetery and receiving dignitaries from Japan, in addition to the various joint Japan-Australia projects and citizen exchanges that have contributed to Japan-Australia postwar reconciliation.

Both Mr. Miller and Mr. West gave speeches, in which they stated that it was an honour to be able to contribute to Japan-Australia reconciliation amid their many responsibilities as mayors, and that they accepted the Foreign Minister’s Commendation as representatives of both their families and the people of Cowra.  They also expressed their gratitude towards those people who have assisted them in the role of mayor, as well as conveying their gratitude for having been awarded the Commendation.