Released 25/07/2017
This morning I had the honour of laying a wreath at the Australian Memorial in Wellington to pay tribute to Victoria Cross recipient Captain Alfred Shout.
I was proud to join the Mayor of Wellington City Council Justin Lester and the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand Peter Woolcott to acknowledge this shared story which is one of many connections we have with our sister city Wellington.
This trip to New Zealand has helped strengthen the relationship between Canberra and Wellington. Following the earthquakes which caused destruction in the city earlier this week, Mayor Lester encouraged me to continue this trip, and I was glad to offer Canberra’s support to Wellington.
The cheerful resilience of Wellingtonians in the face of everything happening around them has been humbling - everyone has been accommodating in light of what must be a trying time for the city and the whole community.
Wellington is a beautiful city, and I would encourage Canberrans to consider making use of the direct Singapore Airlines flights to visit and see the wonderful things our sister city has to offer.
While many of the Canberra Week in Wellington events were postponed, I am committed to further progressing a number of the areas for collaboration that Mayor Lester and I discussed.
I also look forward to welcoming our new friends to the ACT sometime next year for a Wellington Week in Canberra, which would be another opportunity to bring our two cities closer together.
- Statement ends -
Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases