Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival

The Hon. J.S. LEE (20:55): I move:

That this council—

1. Congratulates the Japan Australia Friendship Association for celebrating the milestone 30^th anniversary of the Adelaide Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival in 2025;

2. Notes that Kodomo no Hi, meaning 'Children's Day,' is a Japanese national holiday celebrated on 5 May, dedicated to respecting children's personalities and celebrating their happiness and commends the outstanding Japanese students who were presented with awards for their ATAR at this year's event as part of the festival's commitment to recognising and nurturing young talent;

3. Recognises that the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival is Adelaide's longest running celebration of Japanese culture, strengthening cultural and social links between Japan and Australia through music, performances, craft, food, and workshops;

4. Acknowledges the President of the Japan Australia Friendship Association, Mr Mike Dunphy, the committee, volunteers and supporters for their dedication and hard work in making the festival a success over the past three decades; and

5. Commends the Japan Australia Friendship Association for its longstanding contributions to supporting the Japanese community, fostering friendship and cultural exchange and for enriching our vibrant and diverse multicultural community in South Australia.

It is a great honour today to acknowledge the Japan Australia Friendship Association and congratulate them on celebrating the milestone 30th anniversary of the Adelaide Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival in 2025. The Japan Australia Friendship Association, known affectionately as JAFA, was established in 1998 as a social and cultural volunteer organisation to promote friendship and cultural exchange between Australia and Japan.

Strong leadership is a driving force behind JAFA. I simply cannot talk about JAFA without talking about its passionate and dedicated president, Mr Mike Dunphy. Mike has been involved with JAFA from the very beginning and is an integral part of JAFA's legacy and story. Mike lived in Japan for almost 20 years before moving to Adelaide with his family in 1994.

At the time, there was very little happening in Adelaide in connection with Japan and Mike's passion for Japanese culture and heritage led him to establish the festival as a way of showcasing Japanese culture to Australians and creating the opportunity for the Japanese community to come together and celebrate their rich heritage. Mike is an enduring figure at the helm of JAFA and is ably assisted by a hardworking committee and many volunteers and supporters who contribute greatly to the association and the festival's success.

While JAFA itself was officially founded in 1998, the Kodomo no Hi Festival was first held in 1995, providing a unique platform in Adelaide, the first of its kind and one of its kind, to share traditional Japanese music, performances, craft, food, martial arts and more with the wider Australian community.

Kodomo no Hi means 'Children's Day' in Japanese and is a national holiday celebrating Japan on 5 May every year. It is a day dedicated to respecting children's personalities and celebrating their happiness, with elders, parents and the community coming together to harness good wishes for good health and good fortune for all children.

The Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival is the oldest and largest Japanese festival in South Australia and has maintained its family-friendly atmosphere for three decades, with organisers and volunteers always going the extra mile to provide a variety of entertainment, activities and customer service for people of all ages to enjoy.

As part of the festival's commitment to recognising and nurturing young talent, each year outstanding Japanese students are presented with awards for their ATAR achievements. I wish to commend all the students who received an award this year and wish them good luck with their future studies and endeavours.

This year not only marked the significant milestone of the 30th anniversary of the much loved and popular Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival, it also sadly marked the festival's grand finale. It was an emotional day for all the attendees, including Her Excellency the Governor and Mr Bunten, and everyone involved as Mike announced that the festival would be staged for the last time in South Australia this year, due to the changing needs of the community.

It has been a privilege to serve our multicultural community throughout my parliamentary career for more than 15 years, so I do have a very long association with JAFA. Over that time I have been honoured to attend the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival on almost all occasions and it has been a true delight to see the festival grow and witness the impact it has on the South Australian community.

While the Japanese community in South Australia may be modest in size, its cultural and civic contribution is extraordinary. From language and arts education to festivals like this, Japanese Australians greatly enrich the multicultural identity of our state and also help to build the bilateral relationship between Japan and South Australia.

Over the years, JAFA has delivered a range a programs and initiatives designed to support the Japanese community in South Australia. I would like to take a moment to highlight a number of the key milestones and contributions over the last three decades. JAFA also has a long, enduring, respectful relationship with the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia. I know that Helena Kyriazopoulos, the CEO, has spoken very highly about JAFA and her involvement with JAFA, particularly with Mike Dunphy.

In 1999, JAFA established a children's playgroup as a social support network for Japanese partners of Australians to provide opportunity for Japanese Australian children to play in a Japanese-speaking environment. In 2002, JAFA instituted its annual award for excellence for year 12 students who achieve outstanding results and award for outstanding achievements for students of Japanese at the School of Languages.

JAFA proudly hosted the inaugural conference of the National Federation of Australia Japan Societies in 2003, and in 2007 participated in the inaugural OzAsia Festival's Moon Lantern Festival. In 2011, JAFA donated $10,000 to Japan Red Cross for disaster relief and recruited volunteers to go to Japan to assist on the ground following the devastating earthquake and tsunami. I recall that I bought a painting from the fundraiser and this particular painting hangs proudly in my staff office in Parliament House.

The Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival was named the Australia Day Council of South Australia Community Event of the Year in 2014 and again in 2018 by the City of West Torrens, which shows a longstanding relationship with the City of West Torrens.

In 2016, the very popular and exciting AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival was launched for lovers of all things anime and manga. JAFA president, Mike Dunphy, was appointed to the University of Adelaide Bachelor of Languages and Diploma in Languages advisory board in 2019. In 2021, JAFA established a community social welfare program to support Japanese community members suffering from mental health issues as a result of COVID isolation.

JAFA proudly co-hosted the National Federation of Australia Japan Societies' conference again in 2023. In addition to JAFA's incredible donation and volunteering support following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, JAFA has also made generous donations to various disaster relief efforts, including the Australian Red Cross bushfire appeal in 2020, and the Australian Red Cross flood appeal in 2022.

The Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival has been the main fundraising venture for these philanthropic efforts, enabling JAFA to raise more than $50,000 in donations to support relief appeals in Australia, in Japan and abroad since 2011. JAFA will be turning its focus to its many other endeavours that support the communities, such as administering the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, providing language and culture classes, origami and calligraphy workshops, supporting international students and exchange students, and running regular social events for members.

JAFA will also be expanding social welfare programs to continue to serve the community of other initiatives and activities that cater for the contemporary needs of members who require different service and support.

I can also reassure fans of anime that JAFA's other wonderful festival, the AnimeGo! Japan Pop Culture Festival, is here to stay, with planning well underway for the 2025 edition to be held later this year. JAFA launched the AnimeGo! Japan Pop Culture Festival 2016 as a film festival showcasing old and new anime films and it has since grown into a celebration of all aspects of Japanese pop culture, including art, fashion, food, games and more. AnimeGo! features bookshops, demonstrations and panel talks by industry professionals, but it is not just a convention, it showcases modern cultural elements of Japan with a pop culture twist.

It is very sad that the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival has reached its grand finale this year. It will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by fans, supporters and volunteers for 30 years. This amazing lasting legacy for strengthening cultural and social links between Australia and Japan will always be remembered by all of us who have cherished that relationship.

Once again, I thank and congratulate President Mike Dunphy, the JAFA committee and all the volunteers for their great contribution to the Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival and for building upon the fabric of our multicultural society over the past three decades. I commend JAFA for their longstanding contribution and support for the Japanese-Australian community and for fostering a bilateral relationship. While it is bittersweet to say farewell to Kodomo no Hi Japan Festival, it is also an exciting time as we wish JAFA every success in this new chapter for the future. With those remarks, I commend the motion.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.