Sister Cities, Goodwill Beach Cities, Friendship Cities. There are communities around NSW and around the world with special links to the Northern Beaches. It’s all about promoting friendship, cooperation and cultural exchange.
Odawara, Japan
Manly and Odawara formed a Friendship City relationship in 1990, and we have a reciprocal language and cultural Japan Student Exchange Program with Odawara’s Tokimeki International School. Every year, up to 20 Northern Beaches students aged 14 years or older get the chance to improve their Japanese language skills and learn firsthand about Japanese culture.
Huntington Beach, California, USA
Manly (home of the Australian Open of Surfing) and Huntington Beach (home of US Open of Surfing), formalised their Sister City relationship in February 2012. Both have active art centres, colourful shopping, restaurant districts and museums dedicated to surfing and beach culture, and we were both visited by surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku.
Yeongdo-gu, Busan, South Korea
The Yeongdo-gu Friendship was established on 29 May 2009. The agreement is based upon the shared desire to pursue friendly relations and promote cooperation and understanding.
Gunnedah, Upper Namoi Valley, NSW
Manly’s Friendship with Gunnedah, 478 kilometres from Sydney, began in 2005. We have exchanges, including education, environmental management, sport, literature and the arts. Our annual Beach to Bush – Bush to Beach Program sees students from Gunnedah and the Northern Beaches participating in a three day student exchange.
Taito Ku, Tokyo, Japan
Manly’s Sister City relationship with Taito Ku, one of Tokyo’s 23 wards, began in 1982 after being proposed by Japanese artist Masami Yamada on his first exhibition at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum in 1980.
Oecusse, Timor-Leste (East Timor)
In July 2008, East Timor’s President, José Ramos-Horta, created a Friendship City relationship between Manly and Oecusse. We identified potential projects, including distributing solar-powered radios to enable more people to receive information on healthcare, farming and local government.
Jing’an, Shanghai, China
Manly and Jing’an formed a Sister City relationship in 2000.
Bath, England, UK
Manly has longstanding historical links to Bath. Captain Arthur Phillip, who became New South Wales’ first colonial Governor, and who named Manly, was a resident of Bath. Manly has hosted regular cricket matches with the Lansdown Cricket Club from Bath since 1988.
Brewarrina, NSW
In July 2000, a Sister Cities relationship was formed with Brewarrina, 800 kilometres from Sydney. To promote friendship and understanding between beach and bush communities, we established a Youth Exchange Program. Six young people from the Northern Beaches spend a week in Brewarrina in July, and six young people from Brewarrina visit us every January.
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
In August 2011, in partnership with Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club, a Goodwill Beach City Agreement was signed with Waikiki, Honolulu. It was part of an annual celebration of Duke Kahanamoku, who made surfing popular in Australia with his famous demonstration at Freshwater Beach in 1915.