What's Up at Park?

What's up at the Park? (since 1996)

The Peace Memorial Park in Spring

2000	20-21 Apr.	Ms. Carmel Ryan, the former-President of Australia-Japan Society ACT, visits Joetsu and enjoys cherry-blossom viewing at Takada Park.
	3 Apr.	Mr. Masumi Muramatsu, a sinior advisor of Simul International, Inc. visits the Park and has a pleasant talk with JASJ members.
	28 Mar.	Twelve visitors from Austraiia leave Naoetsu for Kyoto.
	27 Mar.	Most of the visitors go on a trip to the Shin-Etsu Chemical Factory, dropping in at the Stainless Steel Factory and Naoetsu harbour on their way back. Mr.Yates and Mrs. Walsh take part in a talk program broadcast by FM Joetsu Station. Mr.Mudie visits Mayor Miyakoshi at the City Hall.
	26 Mar.	At the gathering at the Kakushinji Temple, Mr.Mudie recites "Vale to the 60 Men Who Died in Naoetsu Camp." The visitors and JASJ members visit the Peace Memorial Park and attend Mass held by Fr.Mario Canducci. They also see the exhibits at the temporary building of the Peace Memorial Museum. At the reception attended by 13 guests, 34 JASJ members, an 20 junior and senior high school students and graduates, Mr. Mudie's poem, "Activity in Naoetsu" is read by Mrs.Lynett Kise, Mr.Mudie's eldest daughter living in Tokyo.
	25 Mar.	Twelve visitors from Austraiia arrive at Naoetsu: Mr.Jack Mudie, Mrs.Jennifer Walsh, Mrs.Lynett Kise (joining in the 26th evening); Mr.John Henderson, Mrs.June Henderson; Mr.Harry (Boss) Barber, Mrs.Gail Purtell; Mr.Louis Hill, Mrs.Betty Hill; Mrs.Theresa Cook; Mrs.Pat Hole; Mr.Rod Yates. At the dinner attended by 11 visitors, three followers and 14 JASJ members, Mr.Mudie recites one of his poem made in the Naoetsu camp, "May in Naoetsu," each stanza being followed by a Japanese translation read by a JASJ member.
	13 Mar.	The JASJ standing committee is called to prepare for the four Australian ex-P0Ws' and eight relatives' visit to Joetsu City scheduled for 25-28 March.

1999	12 Nov.	A memorial service for the eight deceased guards is held at the Rinkakuji Temple.
	15 0ct.	After Director Shigeki Chiba's lecture about his movie *The Rajlroad of Love*, the documentary film is shown to an audienc of approximately 500 people at the concert hall of the Region Plaza Joetsu.
	11 Oct.	The film preview is also given at the Japanese Cultural Centre, Sydney. Mr.and Mrs.Ishizuka meet Mr.Mudie and some other ex-POWs and their relatives. Mr.Ishizuka asks Mr.John Cook about the arrangement of Naoetsu Camp buildings to draw restoration diagram of the camp.
	8 Oct.	The preview of the English version of The Railroad of Love is given at the Australia National Gallery, Canberra, Mr. and Mrs. Ishizuka attend this memorable event.
	1 Oct.	Mr.Hiromu Yagi translates 19 of the poems made by Mr. Jack Mudie at the Naoetsu Camp and edits them into a bilingual (English-Japanese) anthology titled *And Gum-Trees Nodding Under Azure Skies*. This booklet of 110 paegs in A-4 format also includes Mr.Mudie's speech given at the Peace Memorial Park on 8 October 1995 and the editor's introduction and notes.
	17-18 Mar.	Mr.Eric Bouch, a British ex-POW at Naoetsu, visits Joetsu Mar. City.
	6 Mar.	Mr.Terry White, Director, Australia-Japan Foundation, is invited by the JASJ to give a lecture titled "Japan As I See It: The Relationship Between Japan and Australia From Now On."
	20-21 Jan.	Ms.Katherine Thomson, the Australian playwight whose uncle Kavin B.Timbs was a POW at the Naoetsu Camp, visits Joetsu City.
	14 Jan.	Mr. Shigeki Chiba visits the Peace Memorial Park as director of *The Railway of Love, a documentary film about Father Glynn*'s noble deeds as a bridge between Australia and Japan. Mr.Ishizuka and some other JASJ members cooperate with the director when he shoots several scenes at the park.

The Peace Memorial Park in Winter

1998	1-2 Nov.	A memorial service for the eight guards is held on the 50th anniversary of their death.
	12 Oct.	Mr. Takashi Nagase, author of a reportage on the POW camps in Burma entitled *A Bridge Over the Battlefield*, gives a lecture at Work Pal Joetsu about his own experiences as a Japanese army interpreter during the Pacific War.
	8-14 Oct.	Mr.Kaoru Miyakoshi, Mayor of Joetsu, is on a goodwill tour to Australia, visiting Cowra, Canberra, and Sydney, where he meets Mr.Jack Mudie and some other ex-POWs. The Mayor is accompanied by two standing committee members of the JASJ, Mrs. Y. Ishizuka and Mr. Y. Kondo.
	Aug.	Mr.Yoshikazu Kondo opens his Web page titled Website of Volunteers for International Exchange, which carries the history of the Peace Memorial Park and the experiences of those who have worked for the project. It also includes participants' memories and impressions of the events that the JASJ has organized.
	10 Aug.	The JASJ donates A Bridge Across the Pacific Ocean to the National Library of Berlin.
	31Jul. - 23 Aug.	Three members of the JASJ join the visitors from the JAS of Nara to Australia and stay with families in Molong, NSW, and several other towns and cities.
	21-23 Apr.	Thirteen visitors from Molong, NSW, Australia stays with 10 families in Joetsu.
	21-23 Jan.	Mr.Louis Zamperini, who spent six months in 1945 as an American POW in the Naoestu Camp, visits Joetsu as the first torch relay runner in the city for the Nagano 0lympic Winter Games. The JASJ holds a dinner party for him at the Century Ikaya Hotel.

1997	0ct.	The Niigata Prefectural Teachers' Union publishes a supplementary textbook titled *To Achieve a Lasting Peace: Out of the Dark Days of the Tragic Events at the Naoetsu POW Camp, edited by some editorial staff members of A Bridge Across the Pacific Ocean*. The booklets of 80 pages in BS format are distributed to all the primary and junior high schools in the prefecture.
	15-17Mar.	Mr.Rod Yates, an ex-P0W's son, visits Joetsu City.
	14 Jan.	Ms.Carmel Ryan, president of the Australia-Japan Society (ACT), visits Joetsu City.

1996	5-12 Oct.	Twenty-one JASJ members are on a goodwill tour to Australia. They join the Australian visitors to Naoetsu of 0ctober 1995 in their reunion at Sydney harbour; visit the former site of No.12 P.0.W. Camp in Cowra and pray before the War Cemetary; meet some members of the Australia-Japan Societies of NSW and ACT, the Mayor of Cowra Shire Council, the Chief Minister of ACT egislative Assembly, and many other Austalian citizens.
	3 0ct.	The former Council publishes a book of 202 pages in B5 format, which includs records of the organization's activities and achievements and the history of the Naoetsu Camp, entitled *A Bridge Across the Pacific Ocean: Out of the Dark Day of Tragic Events at the POW Camps in Naoetsu and Cowra*.
	15 Aug.	Mr.Masaru Moriki, a survivor from the Cowra Breakout, gives a lecture at the Rainbow Centre, as one of the events in the Gathering for Peace.
	7 Aug.	Mr.Frank Hole passes away.
	2 June	The inaugural meeting of the Japan-Australia Society of Joetsu (JASJ) is held at the Rainbow Centre. Officials of the Society: Honorary president: Mr.Kaoru Miyakoshi, Mayor of Joetsu City President : Mr.Shoichi Ishizuka Chief secretary : Mr.Satoshi Sato
	28 May	The Council to Erect the Statues of Peace and Friendship is dissolved to organize a new Japan-Australia society.
	2 Apr.	Mr.Koichi Inomata's pastel titled *Ryoshu no Yado (The Prison Camp)*, which depicts a Naoetsu POW camp building that remained undestroyed until several years ago at the site, is exhibited at the 8th Modern Pastel Artists' ehibition held at the gallery of the Tokyo Art Theatre. This picture wins him the Pastel Artists' Association Award.
	18 Mar.	Mr.Tony Mooney, Advisor to, and Mrs. Libby Reid, Manager of, the Japanese Garden, Cowra, visits Joetsu City.

The original table is written by Koichi Inomata.
The items in this English version are selected, added and translated by Yoshikazu Kondo and Hiromu Yagi.
The three are standing committee members of the JASJ.