Houston-Perth Sister Cities Association
Established: 1983, under Mayor Kathy Whitmire
About the Relationship
The ties between Houston and Perth can initially be traced to the World War II Battle of Sunda Strait, where both the USS Houston and HMAS Perth attacked a superior force of Japanese ships in an attempt to stall their advance towards Australia. Both ships were lost along with many men, but their sacrifice allowed the American and Australian navies to halt the Japanese advance and helped forge the relationship that Houston and Perth have today. The bond between the two cities was further strengthened during John Glenn’s 1962 spaceflight, when the city of Perth turned on all their house and street lights allowing the astronaut to view the city from orbit. Perth repeated this friendship gesture in 1998 on John Glenn’s Space shuttle flight.
In the 1980s, when Houston sought to expand its global ties, Perth was an attractive partner for a Sister City partnership based in large part on these historical ties and the strong synergies between the two cities’ energy sectors. The association was formally created under Mayor Kathy Whitmire in 1983 and for its first fourteen years the HPSCA was a standalone organization. Since 1997 the Houston-Perth Sister Cities Association has served as a Committee of the Australian-American Chamber of Commerce, Houston.
The Houston-Perth Sister City Association is celebrating it’s 33rd anniversary of the relationship of the two Cities.This year we are also celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle Of Sunda Strait which is the foundation of the Sister City relationship. In addition to participating in activities of the AACC, HPSCA is an active member of Sister Cities of Houston activities.
These include:
The ties between Houston and Perth can initially be traced to the World War II Battle of Sunda Strait, where both the USS Houston and HMAS Perth attacked a superior force of Japanese ships in an attempt to stall their advance towards Australia. Both ships were lost along with many men, but their sacrifice allowed the American and Australian navies to halt the Japanese advance and helped forge the relationship that Houston and Perth have today. The bond between the two cities was further strengthened during John Glenn’s 1962 spaceflight, when the city of Perth turned on all their house and street lights allowing the astronaut to view the city from orbit. Perth repeated this friendship gesture in 1998 on John Glenn’s Space shuttle flight.
In the 1980s, when Houston sought to expand its global ties, Perth was an attractive partner for a Sister City partnership based in large part on these historical ties and the strong synergies between the two cities’ energy sectors. The association was formally created under Mayor Kathy Whitmire in 1983 and for its first fourteen years the HPSCA was a standalone organization. Since 1997 the Houston-Perth Sister Cities Association has served as a Committee of the Australian-American Chamber of Commerce, Houston.
The Houston-Perth Sister City Association is celebrating it’s 33rd anniversary of the relationship of the two Cities.This year we are also celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle Of Sunda Strait which is the foundation of the Sister City relationship. In addition to participating in activities of the AACC, HPSCA is an active member of Sister Cities of Houston activities.
These include:
Annual Fall Concert and Consular Dinners
- Our Annual Fall Concert has been recognized as one of the top events of its kind with curated musicians and dancers representing all parts of the world.
- Our Consular Dinners have proven to be one of the Cities best international networking events.
Young Artists/Young Authors /Young Film-makers
These actives open to all area schools; for more detail visit www.SisterCitiesHouston.org.
For three consecutive years Houston-Perth SCA has sponsored the Glassel School of art for the young artists competition winning on both a national (2014) and international level, 2015.
For the latest information on the Glassel School of Art Young Artists/Young Authors/ Young Filmmakers group please click here.
Press Release:
These actives open to all area schools; for more detail visit www.SisterCitiesHouston.org.
For three consecutive years Houston-Perth SCA has sponsored the Glassel School of art for the young artists competition winning on both a national (2014) and international level, 2015.
- 2014: The 2014 Young Artists Showcase (U.S.) Grand Prize winner was Anna Cho from Houston, TX for her artwork titled “Global Village”.
- 2015: The 2015 US Finalist was Andy Liu from Houston for his artwork entitled Garden of Communities.
For the latest information on the Glassel School of Art Young Artists/Young Authors/ Young Filmmakers group please click here.
Press Release:
Houston Chronicle: Sacrifices of WWII crew on Perth, Houston ships honored in Houston Public Library exhibit
For more information on our Sister City please visit Sister Cities of Houston.