Sister city visitors from Sannohe began their Tamworth visit yesterday with a trip to the marsupial park with the kangaroos a highlight. Rotarian and English teacher Reiko Oba said the marsupial park was the best park she had ever visited.

“It is so natural. We are greatly impressed. We step- ped into nature,” she said.

Mrs Oba said the kangaroos were wonderful and she loved being so close to them. Other items on their itinerary she looked forward to included time with Tamworth Regional Council mayor Col Murray and a Sydney Harbour cruise.

The group is in the Tamworth region until Saturday and will visit AELEC, Tamworth High School, plant trees in the Japanese section of the botanic gardens, visit Chaffey Dam and Nundle before they return to Sydney and leave Australia on Sunday.

Sannohe councillor Katsuyoshi Sakamoto said he particularly wanted to visit Tamworth High School.

“The relationship be- tween the two schools is fantastic and visits like these only help strengthen that relationship,” he said.

Sannohe and Tamworth have been sister cities since 2001, but individuals from each city made reciprocal visits many years before the arrangement became official.

It began in the 1970s when Tamworth’s Alan Forest was a Rotary exchange student to Sannohe. 

This visit with 14 Rotarians strengthens the ties between the two cities.