Speeches
Saturday, 03 May 2025
Kodomo no Hi Festival
Minasan Kon'nichiwa!
Rod and I are pleased to join you for the launch of the Kodomo no Hi festival, celebrating South Australia’s relationship with Japan.
Japan is among South Australia’s top ten trading partners, and we are building closer ties across food, wine, education, renewable energy and other sectors.
These ties are underpinned by warm people‑to-people relations, among which, most notable and proudly, is the sister‑city relationship between Adelaide and Himeji which has been in place since 1982.
It was my pleasure to visit Japan as Governor in 2022, working to strengthen these links, building on my previous visits to the country as an Australian diplomat.
In common with just about everyone who has been to Japan, I have the greatest respect for its people and its culture, both ancient and modern.
Friends
Over the years the Kodomo no Hi festival has grown into the biggest Japanese cultural event in South Australia.
The festival creates a wonderful atmosphere of friendship, inclusivity and cultural expression.
There are so many opportunities at Kodomo no Hi to have fun, learn new things and make new friends.
It creates a strong spirit of community for us all to enjoy.
I thank Mike Dunphy and the volunteers of the Japan Australian Friendship Association for assembling the wide variety of activities on offer here today.
The association puts a lot of effort into making sure there is something for everyone, and I think that’s an important reason why people return, year after year.
Kodomo no Hi, ‘Children’s Day’, has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times.
As joint patron with Rod of South Australia’s Children Week, I am pleased to see children’s health and happiness celebrated at today’s festival.
South Australia is often held up as an example of a successful multicultural, and intercultural, society.
Children are very important, because they will be the ones carrying on these fine traditions in the years to come.
I thank JAFA, stallholders and performers for offering young people the opportunity to enjoy Japanese history and culture here today, as well as the wider community.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy the festival.