THE Mitchell and Honbetsu delegation 2025 congregated at the Greater Beveridge Community Centre earlier this month to be introduced to their Mitchell Shire host families.
The Honbetsu sister program was established between the then-Kilmore Shire and Honbetsu Shire in 1991, and now the Mitchell Shire Council, Bendigo Bank Wallan and District, and volunteers are keeping the connection alive.
Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne Tokuro Furuya attended the event along with 30 students and six chaperones, whose road and air voyage took around 24 hours.
Chairman of the Mitchell Honbetsu Sister City Association Chris Garrett, Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne Tokuro Furuya, Bendigo Bank Wallan and District Branch Manager Jackie Ginefra, and Mitchell Shire Council Councillor Claudia James welcomed the Mitchell and Honbetsu delegation 2025 at the Greater Beveridge Community Centre.
While Honbetsu (9000) is not as populated as the Mitchell Shire (53,723), it shares a similar landscape and agricultural demographic.
In Honbetsu, its primary agricultural products are soybean, dairy, and sugar beets, while in the Mitchell Shire, the primary products are livestock, wool, and horticulture.
The students spent four days with their hosts, with one host family showing their delegate to the Wallan Market, while another rediscovered Mount Disappointment through their visitor’s eyes.
An Aussie BBQ was of course high on the list of things to do for most, as well as providing delegates with a taste of Australian classics such as Vegemite, lamingtons, and pavlovas.
