NUNDLE’S enduring cultural association with the world’s most populous nation could see it strike gold.
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The tiny village is on the cusp of entering into a “little sister community” partnership with the rural hamlet of Qinglong.
Business leaders hope an arrangement between the two “very similar” communities will create trade, tourism and cultural benefits.
Nundle’s ties to China were first forged in the 1850s when people flocked to the area following the discovery of gold at Hanging Rock.
This formative part of the village’s history is celebrated each year with the Nundle Go For Gold Chinese Easter Festival attracting thousands of people.
Wombramurra’s Mark Eather travelled to Qinglong recently on the advice of a member of Everich Corporation’s delegation that toured Nundle in November last year.
He was impressed at the potential opportunities for the exchange of agricultural products, animal husbandry ex- pertise and veterinary and genetics knowledge.
The Nundle Business Tourism and Marketing Group has backed the proposal and the matter will be put to a vote at the Tamworth Regional Council’s meeting tonight.
“(It) would develop Nundle as a focal point within (the) Tamworth region and expand the relationship into the region for cultural, trade and tourism interchange with China,” secretary Jim Aspinall said in a letter of support to the council.
“This would have great benefits for Nundle and district, and also for (the) Tamworth region as a whole.”
The deal would also see Tamworth form a “big city” partnership with the nearby city of Xingyi, population 740,000, located in Guizhou province.
Tamworth currently has sister city agreements with Gore in New Zealand, Chaoyang in Beiging, Nashville in the USA, Sannohe in Japan and Tamworth in
England.