President's Report - Japan Australia Friendship Association (JAFA) Annual General Meeting
In my annual report some years ago I stated that my report each year had taken on a familiar format and if I read a previous year’s report it would be a fair summation of what we have achieved over the last twelve months. Not much has changed.
For a relatively small organization we continue to achieve success that is the envy of longer established counterpart organizations. I think the distinguishing characteristics of JAFA are imagination and creativity and the passion and energy to bring our ideas to fruition.
Our monthly J-Kai social gathering has attracted consistently high attendance with the informal atmosphere allowing people to enjoy meeting for friendship and language exchange and to hear presentations on subjects relating to Japan. And the event continues to attract a large number of international students from a variety of countries.
The main event each year is the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival in early May. It is the largest, volunteer, community based Japan festival in South Australia and it has become the template for other similar events providing the performers we have identified with further opportunities to present Japanese culture to the community. This year was the event’s 20th anniversary and the attendance of at least 6,000 people almost filled the venue to capacity. The Consul General for Japan attended and presented JAFA with a special commendation for our achievements. I was very pleased that so many of the people who have supported the festival over the years were able to join me in receiving the award.
In my annual report some years ago I stated that my report each year had taken on a familiar format and if I read a previous year’s report it would be a fair summation of what we have achieved over the last twelve months. Not much has changed.
For a relatively small organization we continue to achieve success that is the envy of longer established counterpart organizations. I think the distinguishing characteristics of JAFA are imagination and creativity and the passion and energy to bring our ideas to fruition.
Our monthly J-Kai social gathering has attracted consistently high attendance with the informal atmosphere allowing people to enjoy meeting for friendship and language exchange and to hear presentations on subjects relating to Japan. And the event continues to attract a large number of international students from a variety of countries.
The main event each year is the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival in early May. It is the largest, volunteer, community based Japan festival in South Australia and it has become the template for other similar events providing the performers we have identified with further opportunities to present Japanese culture to the community. This year was the event’s 20th anniversary and the attendance of at least 6,000 people almost filled the venue to capacity. The Consul General for Japan attended and presented JAFA with a special commendation for our achievements. I was very pleased that so many of the people who have supported the festival over the years were able to join me in receiving the award.
Just prior to the festival we were honoured by Adelaide City Council with a Lord Mayoral reception to celebrate the 20th anniversary and the success of the Koinobori Project, which was the brainchild of our festival coordinator Greg Corbett. The project involved volunteers visiting schools to instruct students in making koinobori. Greg spent a lot of time and energy in making it a success and I would like this meeting to record a vote of thanks for his efforts.
Each year JAFA applies for grants to help finance the expenses in putting on the festival and this year we received the maximum amount offered from Multicultural SA. This is an indication of the significant contribution the festival makes to celebrating multiculturalism and diversity in our society. I’m also pleased to report that the income from the festival allowed us to make a donation of $10,000 to the UNICEF Nepal Earthquake Children’s appeal. This is the same amount as we gave to the Japan Red Cross after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and was the largest single donation by a Japan related organization in South Australia.
The origami and calligraphy classes continue to attract people with some very talented origami practioners attending. The classes have become a social club now meeting on the first and third Saturday of the month.
Both Emiko and my wife Machiko do a great job with these activities, also conducting a very popular workshop at the Moon Lantern Festival attracting hundreds of people. And they continue as judges of origami in the Craft section of the Royal Adelaide Show.
The Moon Lantern Festival is the community aspect of the OzAsia Festival, which this year had a significant number of Japanese performers as well as screening some classic Japanese cinema.
Japanese cinema has received a boost in Adelaide with the Japan Film Festival returning in 2014. Greg Corbett was responsible for the PR and the attendance last year and again this year is a reflection on the great job he does.
Our support for Japanese language learning continues as a major focus for JAFA with awards to students of Japanese who gain a score of 20/20 in the SSABSA Yr. 12 assessment cycle and to the best student in Japanese at the School of Languages. We also conduct the Japanese Language Proficiency Test sponsored by the Japan Foundation which this year had the highest number of applicants who will be taking the test on December 6th.
The What’s On message is sent out each month providing information on not just JAFA events but a variety of Japan related activities. Over 1,000 people receive the message directly and some teachers of Japanese forwarding it to their students. Our Facebook page will be updated regularly so it’s worth logging on to find out what’s happening.
All of these activities are the result of the dedicated work put in by the Committee members. A successful committee works well as a team and ours is a Premiership winning team. Emiko Mayer will continue as Vice President, Elizabeth Nguyen as Secretary, Kate King is doing a great job with the finances and will continue as Treasurer and Victoria Kyriakopoulos improves the What’s On message with some lively graphics before sending it out and will keep updating the Facebook page. For the boys, Wade Beger, our Public Officer, is set for another decade on the Committee and Herbert Dorfmeister is doing well at all the miscellaneous jobs we throw his way. Unfortunately, Paul Stephenson, who wrote the most professional grant application Multicultural SA ever received, had to transfer interstate for business and left the committee. However, his place will be taken by Steven Attwood who is already proving useful in planning a new project JAFA hopes to start later next year.
The Committee members all have an opportunity to represent JAFA at various functions. The biennial conference of the National Federation of Australia Japan Societies was held in Brisbane last year and Ben Sparrow, who is on the national executive, was joined by Wade Beger as the JAFA representative. Other committee members have attended functions at Government House and Kate presented the JAFA Award for Excellence at the School of Languages awards ceremony last night.
As an active community organization JAFA enjoys good working relations with other Japan related organizations in South Australia including the Japan Australia Business Council and the Japanese Language Teachers Association as well as the Japanese Community School. We work closely with the Japan Foundation in Sydney and have given a lot of assistance over the years to the Japanese Consulate in Melbourne. We are respected by local governments such as the City of West Torrens, the City of Prospect and the City of Adelaide as well as State government entities including Multicultural SA, the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission and the Multicultural Education Committee. And it is the organization that is contacted by schools, community organizations and the general public for information and assistance on matters relating to Japan.
JAFA is for all members to enjoy and participate in and I would like to invite any of you interested in assisting with our activities or have an idea for an event please to come forward and let us know so that JAFA can continue as an active community organization.