THE LINDSAY-NAYORO TWINNING COMMITTEE
A History Going Back Over 40 Years
The history of the Twinning Committee dates back over forty years when a sister relationship began between the two cities. Of the 75 Canada-Japan Sister and Friendship Cities, Lindsay and Nayoro are the 6th oldest on the list and the 2nd of fourteen in the province of Ontario. Most recently Didsbury, Alberta twinned with Miki, Kagawa in April of 2009.
During the late 1960s, Mayor Ikeda of Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan, had a dream of twinning his city with one in North America. He wrote to Lindsay, Ontario natives Doreen and Floyd Howlett, whom he had met while they worked in Nayoro, to learn if the Howletts could suggest a municipality to be Nayoro's twin city. The Howletts enthusiastically approached Lindsay's Mayor John Eakins. There were many reasons to support the idea. Besides being of comparable size and on the same geographical latitude, both localities have similar weather conditions, a river, a town centre surrounded by agrarian land, and trillium wildflowers. Negotiations between the two city councils began and the official twinning was made official in simultaneous ceremonies on August 1, 1969.
Although separated by thousands of kilometres, many citizens from both cities have participated in cultural exchanges since that time. There have been teaching exchanges, sports exchanges, and student exchanges, the latter of which began in 1973. The exchange program is a cultural learning experience, from which participants benefit greatly. While on their exchange trip and upon their return, students share their stories with presentations at local service clubs and schools. The many Canadian and Japanese students over the age of 15 who have participated in the program carry memories of their time abroad as they grow into adulthood becoming active members of society.
Every second year, two students are chosen from applicants in the City of Kawartha Lakes to travel to Nayoro, Japan. In alternate years, students from Nayoro travel to the CoKL. During the students' stay over the course of the summer they are billeted in several homes. This summer (2013), students from the CoKL will travel to Nayoro. Application forms and more information are available here.
Global harmony is best accomplished at the grassroots level; when people connect with people in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect the impact can be enormous. One of the essential principles upon which the twinning concept is based is that friendship breeds trust, understanding, and goodwill. The enduring ties built over many decades is evidence that the twinning of Lindsay and Nayoro has been a success. The future of the Twinning Committee is reliant upon the energy and commitment of volunteers who support this continued relationship for all of its benefits as well as the principles it upholds.
During the late 1960s, Mayor Ikeda of Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan, had a dream of twinning his city with one in North America. He wrote to Lindsay, Ontario natives Doreen and Floyd Howlett, whom he had met while they worked in Nayoro, to learn if the Howletts could suggest a municipality to be Nayoro's twin city. The Howletts enthusiastically approached Lindsay's Mayor John Eakins. There were many reasons to support the idea. Besides being of comparable size and on the same geographical latitude, both localities have similar weather conditions, a river, a town centre surrounded by agrarian land, and trillium wildflowers. Negotiations between the two city councils began and the official twinning was made official in simultaneous ceremonies on August 1, 1969.
Although separated by thousands of kilometres, many citizens from both cities have participated in cultural exchanges since that time. There have been teaching exchanges, sports exchanges, and student exchanges, the latter of which began in 1973. The exchange program is a cultural learning experience, from which participants benefit greatly. While on their exchange trip and upon their return, students share their stories with presentations at local service clubs and schools. The many Canadian and Japanese students over the age of 15 who have participated in the program carry memories of their time abroad as they grow into adulthood becoming active members of society.
Every second year, two students are chosen from applicants in the City of Kawartha Lakes to travel to Nayoro, Japan. In alternate years, students from Nayoro travel to the CoKL. During the students' stay over the course of the summer they are billeted in several homes. This summer (2013), students from the CoKL will travel to Nayoro. Application forms and more information are available here.
Global harmony is best accomplished at the grassroots level; when people connect with people in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect the impact can be enormous. One of the essential principles upon which the twinning concept is based is that friendship breeds trust, understanding, and goodwill. The enduring ties built over many decades is evidence that the twinning of Lindsay and Nayoro has been a success. The future of the Twinning Committee is reliant upon the energy and commitment of volunteers who support this continued relationship for all of its benefits as well as the principles it upholds.