VALE Doctor Shunji Ohashi

Tribute by Peter Patterson (former FSFA Chairperson)

It is with great sadness that we farewell our dear friend and long-term supporter of our sister city connection Dr. Shunji Ohashi, who passed away on the 28^th February, 2025 at 88 years of age.

Dr. Ohashi made a significant contribution to the strength of the sister city relationship between Susono and Frankston. A medical doctor and hospital owner in Susono, he was involved with the sister city relationship for over 25 years. He served initially as Chairperson of the Susono Overseas Friendship Association (SOFA) and later as the long-serving Mayor of Susono City for 20 years. He was a frequent visitor to Frankston and gave his time with both passion and energy.

The following are extracts from the Frankston Susono Friendship Association (FSFA) annual reports. They give an insight into Dr. Ohashi’s contribution.

Between August 18-21, 1990 Frankston received a delegation of 7 Susono people. The delegation was led by the Chairperson of the Susono Overseas Friendship Association, Dr. Shunji Ohashi, who was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Yoshiko Ohashi. The delegation also included the Co-ordinator of the Susono Overseas Friendship Association, Mr. Hiromichi Sugiyama; Secretary to the Mayor, Mr. Yukihiko Sugiyama; Chief of Student Exchange, Mr. Shingo Onoda; School Principal, Mr. Masaharu Sakata and Mathematics Teacher, Mr. Toyohiko Sugiyama. The visit had an educational focus and included visits to local secondary schools and the Frankston Hospital. The Mayor, Councillor David Lee, hosted a civic reception for the delegation and they also attended the FSFA Annual General Meeting.

Enokido Art Exhibition 15th September to 3rd October 1991: 

Mr. Fumihiko Enokido, a distinguished Japanese artist from Susono provided some of his works, in addition to some pieces from his wife Maki Enikido which were the subject of an Exhibition at the McClelland Gallery. The Enokidos together with SOFA Chairperson Dr. Ohashi, Mrs. Ohashi and a contingent of 20 people took this opportunity to come to Frankston and enjoy five (5) days with us. The visit included a function hosted by the Council at the Gallery, a social evening with our members at Frankston Football Club as well as home hosting and a sightseeing tour of the Mornington Peninsula. Two substantial paintings by Fumihiko Enokido and another by Maki Enikido were presented to the Mayor Mr. Michael Fuller. These valuable works are on permanent display in the Frankston Council chamber.

The SOFA are very fortunate in that by the benevolence of Dr. & Mrs. Ohashi a new three (3) storey building with suitable clubrooms as well as residential accommodation is at their disposal for almost unrestricted sister-city group use.

On November 4, 5 and 6, 1992, a delegation from Susono visited Frankston, led by Dr. Ohashi, Chairperson of the Susono Overseas Friendship Association. The main purpose of the visit was for the delegation to be presented with the trophy from the Sister Cities Association. The delegation also made a presentation to Mr. Noel Ferguson and Mr. Adrian Butler to recognise their City relationship. 

During 1994, we received two delegations from Susono. The Mayor of Susono, Dr. Ohashi, led a delegation that visited especially for the opening of the new Cultural Centre. Mayor Ohashi presented to the City a donation of a New Norfolk pine, which was named 'The Friendship Tree'. The City also, as a gift to the City of Susono, presented to Mayor Ohashi a baby New Norfolk pine to take back to Susono to be planted outside their Cultural Centre. We have since received photographs of that tree being planted by Mayor Ohashi and Mr. Sugiyama, Chairperson of SOFA.

In 1996/1997, we were able to host a delegation from Susono which included the Mayor of Susono Dr. Ohashi, to share in the weekend of celebrations and festivities that were held to mark this historic occasion for both Cities. It was truly a great weekend and further developed the bond of friendship between the two Cities. A great time was had by all.

Preparations for 25th Anniversary of our Sister City Relationship

Next Year’s Sea Festival weekend will include events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Frankston Susono Sister City relationship. Events will include a celebration Dinner and function to be hosted by Australian Arrow/Yazaki. Dr. Ohashi, the Mayor of Susono, has indicated that he would be coming and we expect a large delegation to accompany him. We have indications that a musical group of some sort will also be coming. I have had several meetings with Frankston Council on the organisation of events. 

25th Anniversary Celebrations

The 25th anniversary of the Frankston and Susono Sister City Relationship is 2007. To celebrate the occasion FSFA organized a number of events on behalf of the Frankston City Council for 19th, 20th and 21st of January 2007. The events coincided with the annual Frankston Sea Festival. The Festival is a key part of our promotion of Japanese Culture and we work in cooperation with Australian Arrow, a major sponsor of the Sea Festival. A delegation of some 25 citizens from Susono led by the Mayor Dr. Shunji Ohashi, visited Frankston for the Sea Festival and to celebrate our anniversary.

2013/2014 saw the retirement of long-time Susono Mayor Dr. Shunji Ohashi. Dr. Ohashi has been to Frankston a number of times and has been a fantastic supporter of the sister city relationship. The new Mayor is Mr. Kenji Takamura.

On behalf of the citizens of the City Of Frankston, thank you Dr. Shunji Ohashi for your profound contribution to our sister city relationship. Our condolences to Mrs. Yoshiko Ohashi, their family, and the people of Susono.

Doctor Shunji Ohashi (2009)

Mayor Bolam Joins Our March Meeting

During our March FSFA Committee meeting held on Tuesday evening we welcomed a special guest - Frankston Mayor Councillor Kris Bolam JP.  Members of the committee briefed the Mayor on a range of topics related to our plans for a very busy 2025. These included the SOFA and Susono Schools delegation visits from our sister city in late July/early August; our Japanese Festival to be held on Sunday 3rd August; our Japanese Speech Contest in early September; the annual Hanami Party in the Japanese Garden at Frankston High School during late October; the short-term student exchange program and online communication and student activities between the sister cities; Derinya Primary School's participation in this year's World Expo in Osaka planned for October; and the growing popularity of our Frankston Taiko Drumming Group taking Japanese music and culture to the wider Frankston community and promoting our vibrant sister city relationship!

A young Mayor Bolam led our 2011 Frankston Delegation to Susono, narrated our group's stage performance of 'The Waterhole' at the Australian Fair and participated in Susono City's 40th Anniversary Ceremony. Since that time he has been a strong supporter and advocate for the sister city relationship. At the opening of the Susono Tribute Garden in Susono Way outside the Frankston Private Hospital the Mayor spoke fondly of his experiences during that delegation visit and referred to the sister city relationship with Susono as "the jewel in Frankston's crown".

Mayor Bolam expressed a strong desire to support and be involved in this year's delegation visit and Japanese Festival as well as thanking the (voluntary) members of the FSFA committee for their hard work in promoting Frankston's sister city relationship with Susono for over 43 years!

At the conclusion of the briefing Mayor Bolam joined committee members (including those via Teams online, with Chairperson Julie D'Arcy and Yoshio Noda in Susono) for a group photo.

Mayor Kris Bolam, FSFA Committee & Guests

Chairperson Julie D'Arcy - Report from Japan #3 (28/1/2025)

It has been almost a month since I returned to Japan after holidaying in Europe. During my travels, I was able to obtain my visa to work in Japan at the Japanese Embassy in Dublin.

Since returning to Japan, life has been very busy. Thanks to the support and assistance from the Susono Overseas Friendship Association (SOFA), I was able to move into my own apartment right after returning from Europe. My two-room apartment is small but cozy, and it's a good size for Japan. It’s located on the third floor of an apartment building, so I always double-check to ensure I have everything before heading out—there’s no elevator!

I began my role with SOFA as the English Conversation teacher in early January. Conveniently, the classroom is on the second floor of my apartment building—so I have no excuses for being late to class! I truly enjoy my role and am getting to know all my students. They are so eager and enthusiastic to learn and practice English. My youngest student is currently six years old, while the oldest is close to 80!

Julie enjoying a coffee and catch up with Yoshio Noda

As much as I enjoy helping others improve their English, I’ve realized that this limits my own opportunities to practice Japanese. To address this, I’ve joined the Japanese Conversation Classes provided by SOFA. These classes have been incredibly helpful, though I still have a long way to go before achieving fluency. My goal is to communicate effectively in everyday situations, such as opening a bank account or attending a doctor’s appointment. Fortunately, I’ve had the support of SOFA members, who helped with translating during these situations. They also accompanied me to the Civic Centre and assisted me in completing the necessary documentation to register as a citizen of Susono and apply for a health card (similar to a Medicare card). I’m happy to report that I’m once again a citizen of Susono—just like I was back in 1983 when I was an exchange student.

A lot has certainly changed in Susono since I lived here in 1983. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is the beautiful view of Mount Fuji. I can see it from my apartment window, and each day I check to see if it’s visible or hiding behind the clouds. It’s so majestic, and I still can’t believe I’ve climbed to the top of it.

Early morning view of Mount Fuji

Over the past month, the winter weather in Susono has been lovely. Most days, the temperature has been around 3–10 degrees Celsius with sunny blue skies, although it can get quite windy. It’s definitely coat-and-hat weather!

Since coming to Japan, I’ve done a lot of walking, as it was my primary mode of transport until recently. I would walk to the station for trains and buses, to the supermarket, and to friends’ houses. While I do enjoy walking, I soon realized that not having a car was limiting. So, I purchased a small car, which has given me the freedom to explore! I’m looking forward to visiting places I’ve never been before and taking my visitors from Australia sightseeing. Luckily, the road rules are the same as in Australia, and the Japanese also drives on the left.

Julie and her Daihatsu car

As I spend more time with my Japanese friends and students, I am continually amazed by how hard-working they are. Unlike in Australia, Japanese people don’t typically have annual leave, so the idea of going on holiday for longer than a week is difficult for them to imagine. However, many Japanese people have the option to retire at 60, and some choose to travel or volunteer their time to give back to their communities.

Stay well everyone! Until next time…

Mata Ne!!

Julie