Homecoming invite sent to Perth, WA

Dec 5 2008 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

TO celebrate the impending year of Homecoming in Scotland, an invite has been issued by the City of Perth, Scotland, to the City of Perth, Western Australia, welcoming all Western Australians to join in the festivities in 2009.

The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Perth, Western Australia, has received a warm invitation from the Provost of Perth, Scotland, acknowledging the inextricable ties between the two cities.

Dr John Hulbert, Provost of Perth & Kinross, is urging Western Australian residents to consider a visit to Scotland during what promises to be an unforgettable year: “On behalf of Perth & Kinross Council and the citizens of the City of Perth, Scotland, I am delighted to extend to all the people of Perth, Western Australia, an invitation to join us in Scotland in 2009, when we celebrate Scotland’s year of Homecoming.

“We are welcoming visitors from all over the world. In particular, we want to see those who are joined by ancestral family ties or by geography, as between the two cities of Perth. Scots have made many contributions to the development of the great Australian nation and especially Western Australia.

“The charter of mutual friendship between the two Perth’s, highlighted by the unique, cultural twinning programme between our two concert halls, recognises these special links, built up over more than 150 years.”

“I am confident that the friendship between our cities will endure for many, many years and I can assure you of a genuine welcome and warm hospitality.”

Homecoming Scotland is a year-round series of events and festivals, devised to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

More than 100 events are currently scheduled to take place but many more are being added to the programme all the time. Events will include the World Famous Burns Supper celebration in January 2009, Auld Lang Syne at Celtic Connections, and Burns Light, a spectacular lantern procession and fire show.