Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2, JULY 27, 2009, THE ISLANDER
Page 2
Brunswick reaping the benefits of
Chinese Sister City relationship
Brunswick Mayor Bryan Thomp
son, Ms. Lei Lily Yang (China Rep
resentative for Coastal Georgia) and
a delegation from Southeast Georgia
Health System (SGHS) returned last
week from a very successful week-
long trip to China, a trip that was the
direct result of the City of Brunswick
hosting a highly productive visit ear
lier in April 2009 from their Chinese
Sister City of Ganzhou, Jiangxi Prov
ince.
The Ganzhou delegation's tour of
Brunswick in April included a visit to
SGHS, which led Ganzhou municipal
government leader Mr. Pan Yiyang to
invite SGHS to visit Ganzhou in July
to consult on the design and plan
ning of a planned 1,500-bed hospital
scheduled to be completed in 2012.
Along with Mayor Thompson and
Ms. Yang, SGHS Vice President
Marjorie A. Mathieu, RPh, Fache
and SGHS Facilities Director Dennis
Johnson attended several planning
meetings in Ganzhou to exchange
design/engineering recommendations
with their Chinese counterparts.
Ganzhou officials wish to expand the
collaboration by dispatching a delega
tion of engineering specialists and
plant managers to tour SGHS facili
ties in October 2009. Discussions are
also under way regarding possible
joint-venture opportunities for SGHS
at the new hospital.
Among the other highlights of the
China trip:
Partnership between Jiangxi Sci
ence & Technology University and
Coastal College of Georgia (CCGA)
- a delegation of officials from Jiangxi
will be coming to Brunswick in Sep
tember 2009 to discuss details of
establishing a Confucius Institute at
CCGA.
The city of Ganzhou has announced
they will also be sending sixty (60)
public officials to CCGA for adminis
trative/management training.
In Beijing, Ms. Yang arranged for
the Brunswick delegation to meet
with key officials from the Ministry of
Commerce (MOFCOM) and industry,
including Mr. Wang Xia, Secretary
General of the China Chamber of
International Commerce Automotive
Chamber, the leading trade asso
ciation for the Chinese automobile
industry. The delegation also met
with one of the leading real estate
development firms in China, China
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Poly Group Corp., to discuss possibili
ties for investment in Brunswick.
"I wish to give special thanks to Lily
Yang for her tireless work on behalf of
Brunswick and our surrounding com
munities," Mayor Thompson said.
"It was her vision to utilize the
framework of Sister Cities to create
an environment for fostering closer
bilateral ties between Brunswick and
Ganzhou. By adopting this broad-
based strategy of engagement, encom
passing cultural and educational
exchange opportunities as opposed
to strictly trade development and
investment recruitment, Brunswick
has been able to make the most of its
limited resources. The key to our suc
cess was to form genuine friendships,
as the Chinese place a huge premium
on cultivating relationships prior to
engaging in business. We didn't give
anyone a hard sell. We went to forge
common bonds with our Sister City
counterparts, and the business oppor
tunities have flourished as a result."
All expenses incurred by the Bruns
wick delegation while in China includ
ing travel and accommodations were
paid for by the city of Ganzhou. □
4-H and Farm Bureau team up to help
kids celebrate watermelons
The Georgia 4-H program sponsored
a Watermelon-Pumpkin growing con
test this summer for youth state-wide
and Glynn County 4-H'ers participated
opting for watermelons over pumpkins.
James Wooten took First Place
growing a 46.87 pound Carolina Cross
watermelon.
Second and Third places went to
Aaron Ratliff and Sarah Haymans
respectively.
The three were given their awards
at a 'watermelon event' co-sponsored
by Glynn County's University of Geor
gia Cooperative Extension office and
the local chapter of the Georgia Farm
Bureau who supplied hot dogs, chips,
drinks and cooked for the event.
Along with watermelon races, seed
spitting and eating contests the Sea
Glynn County 4-H'er James Wooten received the First Place award in
the Glynn County 4-H Watermelon growing competition for growing a
46.87 pound monster that was almost as big as he was. UGA Coopera
tive Extension Coordinator Robi Gray presented Wooten with his certifi
cate during the watermelon event last week at Ballard ballpark.
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Island carvers were on hand to demon
strate their abilities at turning water
melons and other fruit into works of
art.
Glynn County Farm Bureau presi
dent Betty Ann Lewis said, "We want
to get involved in more local events and
this was a great, agriculturally related
way to do that. Plus, Robi Gray runs
such a great 4-H program, this was a
just a really good fit."
Road Work
• 1-95 South Exit Ramp 36A
The ramp work scheduled to begin
Monday, July 27 has been resched
uled for Sunday, August 23 though
Saturday, Sepember. 12. The Inter
state 95 south exit ramp 36A (US
341) will be closed to allow for the
construction of a new loop ramp. A
signed detour will be in place using
1-95 south exit 42.
This is a work zone and motorists
are advised to use extreme caution.
Motorists should reduce speeds as
they commute through this construc
tion work zone. □
