My report each year has taken on a familiar format and if I read last year’s report it would be a fair summation of what we have achieved over the last twelve months.  But it would omit the most important event in Japan since the end of World War 2.

I mention the War with good reason because the devastation that was wreaked upon the Tohoku region of Japan by the earthquake and tsunami that struck in March and the ongoing nuclear disaster is of a magnitude that is only surpassed by the destruction that Japan suffered during the war.  The images that streamed across TV screens on March 11th were so shocking it was hard to comprehend the enormity of what was happening.

For me there was to be little time to do so.  With a long weekend ahead I was looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the warm early autumn weather.  However, I had no sooner finished work when my mobile rang with a call from a media outlet wanting information and comment on what was happening in Japan.  Without knowing any more about events than they did there was little I could say.  For the rest of that weekend, with the Japanese Embassy and Consulate closed for the holiday, I became something of an unofficial spokesman for Japan as the phone calls continued with some ringing at 5.00am in the morning.

In the weeks following JAFA joined with other organizations to coordinate fundraising activities and hold a memorial service for the victims of the disaster.  Our annual Kodomo no Hi celebration was a major fundraising event with the proceeds and a contribution of $4,000 from JAFA for a total of $10,000 donated to the Japan Red Cross.

Like many people at that time we felt that making a donation was the best help we could offer.  However, financial donations to the Red Cross are no longer needed but there is still a lot to be done in the clean up and reconstruction.  Three people who are here tonight have done more than make donations.  Paul Bilney, CEO of Cowell Clarke, went to Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake to work as a volunteer in Ishinomaki.  He gave a very moving presentation at our J-Kai meeting in July and subsequently returned to Japan for another stint in Ishinomaki.  Since then two more people Tahn Crawford and Dave Chapman, Senior Lecturer in Japanese at UniSA let me know of their volunteer work in Ofunato and Minami-Sanriku.

Inspired by their efforts JAFA considered enlisting volunteers to go to Japan and assist in the clean up and tonight I am announcing the establishment of the JAFA Disaster Relief Volunteer program.  We hope to send the first group in the New Year to work with the Peace Boat organization in Ishinomaki and will be seeking donations and sponsorship to make this possible.  The Disabled and Disadvantaged Children’s Association Inc. are supporting the program with a bank account that will allow all donations of $2 or more to be tax deductible.

This program, which we think is the only one of its kind in Australia, is the most effective way to assist the people of Tohoku and will be a major benefit to the promotion of Australia Japan relations.

Our other activities throughout the year have also been very successful.  The Kodomo no Hi celebration was the biggest ever and we appreciated the efforts of the Festival sub-committee that has been established to organize this event.  As it has continued to grow it now requires a group of people who can concentrate on this one event.  We have built up all the organizational structures and planning systems to allow the sub-committee to operate effectively and I’d like to thank Ben and Greg for their efforts in ensuring that these systems are in place.

The monthly J-Kai social gatherings have also been very successful often attracting standing room only crowds.  These meetings are an opportunity for newly arrived Japanese and other visitors to meet people and form friendships.  The format is fairly informal and with J-pop playing in the background or a Japanese TV show screening on the wall they introduce a slice of modern Japanese culture.

We’ve also had some very interesting presentations the first of which was by Dave Chapman on the “Blue-eyed Japanese – the people of the Ogasawara Islands”.  Then we had Paul Bilney give a presentation on his work in Ishinomaki both his initial trip and his more recent stint.  These presentations will continue in the New Year with some very interesting speakers planned.

As there are people who would like to attend J-Kai but are unable to do so due to work or family commitments we have decided to start another monthly event and I’m pleased to announce the JAFA Family Club which will conduct activities on weekends for families and anyone else who wants to join.

Other events included the always popular mid-winter Nabe Night and an international soccer tournament involving teams from China, Korea, Japan and Australia.  JAFA was very happy to help sponsor the tournament and bring together players from these countries in a spirit of friendship.

The origami and calligraphy classes continue to attract interest from many people in the community and when we participate in the Moon Lantern Festival our workshop is the most popular with hundreds of people coming up to try their hand at these activities.  The Moon Lantern Festival is the start of the OzAsia Festival which this year had a focus on Japan.  There were some great performances during the festival and an excellent exhibition of Japanese embroidery.

Our support for Japanese language learning is a major focus for JAFA and we continue to provide 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 and will be holding the test on December 4^th.

The What’s On message is the most popular message providing information on not just JAFA events but a variety of Japan related activities.  It received special acknowledgment from the President of the National Federation of Australia Japan Societies and has become a template for similar messages put out by other societies.  And if you are really up to date with information technology Greg is sending out some great messages on via Facebook.

As you know organizations like JAFA are run by a committee.  In our case it’s comprised of people who are friends that share a passion and a willingness to do the work to ensure that the ideas they share are put into practice.  Our Vice President Emiko Mayer has been involved in Australia Japan relations since she arrived in Adelaide about 30 years ago and last year received the Governor’s Multicultural Award in recognition of her volunteer work over those years.  Our two youngest committee members are Wade Beger our Public Officer and Greg Corbett our PR Officer who both joined JAFA as high school students and some years ago achieved notoriety for organizing the Jutopia dance party.  And Lauren McAllister finds time out from her work as a biologist to be our secretary and volunteer coordinator for Kodomo no Hi

Then there’s our Treasurer Ben Sparrow.  Euromoney magazine nominated Wayne Swan as the world’s best treasurer but that was only because they were unaware of Ben’s existence.  Ben also serves as Vice Chairman of the Japan Australia Business Council and Vice President of the National Federation of Australia Japan Societies.  With a young family and increasing business pressures he has little free time so the really big announcement for tonight is that he will be resigning from the committee.  He’s done an outstanding job on the committee not just as Treasurer but also in setting up our website and in installing the membership management software and the program for the What’s On message.  We’ve worked closely together and in the week prior to the last Kodomo no Hi celebration he was camped out in my office as the two of us finalized details for that event while trying to run our respective businesses.  He’s not just a committee member and good friend but also a drinking buddy and now that he’s resigning my liver will finally get a rest.  I’d like this meeting to record a vote of thanks to him for his contribution to the success that JAFA has enjoyed and to Australia Japan relations generally.

His place on the committee will be taken by Yuko Sato a graduate student at the University of South Australia and she will be joined on the committee by Stacey Richardson who hasn’t been given a specific role because she’ll be doing all the jobs no one else wants to do.

This has been my longest report but it’s been a big year with major achievements and some exciting programs in place for the future.  I hope you’ll all continue to support JAFA in the year ahead and I’ll look forward to seeing you at our events.