By Dan Walsh at Enniscorthy Council Chamber
“Thanks for the hospitality. We had a great time here”, the words of Kerry Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of Blacktown City, speaking on behalf of a delegation from the New South Wales, Australia, who enjoyed a weekend in Enniscorthy at a special presentation event held in the Council Chamber at the Presentation Arts Centre today (Monday).
Cllr Brad Bunting referred to plans for indigenous projects in Blacktown and “to make it a better place to live.” He concluded by saying; “we need to keep politics out of it and try to do the right thing for the community.”
Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District, Cllr John O’Rourke, who had shown the visitors around Enniscorthy at the weekend thanked them for their friendship and good company and looked forward for both cities working together for a better future.
Cllr O’Rourke hosted a civic reception for the delegation in Enniscorthy Castle on Friday evening, which included the signing of a ‘Sister City Friendship Agreement’ between Enniscorthy Municipal District and Blacktown City Council – committing each Council to officially recognising both Vinegar Hills in commemoration events as well as a commitment to fostering new connections across the areas of tourism, sport, arts and culture.
Kerry Robinson thanked both his own team and the local district and council staff for the effort put into the delegation’s itinerary.
Referencing the differences in scale between Blacktown City and Enniscorthy town, Mr. Robinson also emphasised that the importance of the Sister City relationship was about finding and building on the community, education, arts & cultural aspects that the two areas share; noting one the City Councils longest Sister City Relationships is with an area twice the size of Wexford County, but with a population a little over 7,000.
There was a reference to the historic Battle of Vinegar Hill link. The first battle fought on Australian soil between government troops and rebel forces of European heritage was fought in and around Rouse Hill, located in the Blacktown City area, on March 5th 1804. As the ringleaders of the rebel forces were Irish, the battle became known as the Vinegar Hill Rebellion or the Battle of Vinegar Hill.
Today, the city of Blacktown is home to over 400,000 people, with approximately 5% of those identifying as having Irish heritage. While the exact location of the battle is no longer known, in 1988 a permanent memorial was unveiled commemorating the Battle at a spot in the Castlebrook Memorial Park.
The delegation from Blacktown City Council, led by Cllr Brad Bunting (representing the Mayor Tony Beasdale) and CEO Kerry Robinson, enjoyed visits to key tourism locations, including Johnstown Castle and the Irish National Heritage Park, as well as making business connections with local elected members, local schools, Wexford Campus of SETU and Co Wexford GAA.
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