Consul General of Japan and Chair of the Sakura Committee Hisao Yamaguchi (left) and University of Guelph President Alastair Summerlee.[Back to the Sakura Project Main Page][HOME]
The Sakura Planting season for 2005 was kicked off at the University of Guelph on May 4 with a ceremony marking the donation of seven trees to the campus's Arboretum as well as the 10th anniversary of its David G. Porter Memorial Japanese Garden.
"There are a number of reasons why this particular ceremony is of great significance to me," said Consul General of Japan Hisao Yamaguchi. "First of all, this is my first time at a planting ceremony of the Sakura Project, having only been instated as Chair of the Sakura Committee in October of last year."
He also added that the Sakura Project owes its success in part to the support it receives from the University of Guelph. "The University's Department of Plant Agriculture, Ontario Agricultural College, stores and nurtures the Sakura Project's trees, and in most cases, the College's Farm Manager, Mr. Ray Kaczmarski, and his staff even delivers and plants the trees at the recipients' sites. I speak on behalf of all my colleagues on the Sakura Committee when I say we are very glad to have this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation to the University through this donation."
Bobbi Porter (left) recounts the growth of the Arboretum and of the Japanese Garden as Consul General Yamaguchi and President Summerllee look on.
"Lastly, I am delighted that this planting coincides with the 10th anniversary of the David G. Porter Japanese Garden," said Mr. Yamaguchi. "The trees' flowering blossoms are certain to help celebrate this garden's milestone anniversaries in the future, and I hope the students, staff and faculty of the University of Guelph derive much pleasure from them."
Among the guests of honour was Bobbi Porter, wife of the late University of Guelph Professor David Porter who specialized in reproductive physiology and advanced the development of the Centre for Animal Welfare of the Ontario Veterinary College. The garden was dedicated to his memory by Mrs. Porter in June 1995. Dr. And Mrs. Porter were impressed by the Zen gardens they visited during a 1993 trip to Japan.
Mr. Yamaguchi, Dr. Summerlee and Mrs. Porter take part in a ceremonial planting of a Sakura.
"We cannot underestimate the value of such chance encounters, and the long-lasting effects they may have," noted Mr. Yamaguchi. "Because Dr. Potter and his wife happened to go to Japan and see a traditional garden there, we have today this beautiful landscape that enhances this University's campus. This is very much the kind of inspiration that we hope the Sakura trees will give to the people of Ontario who encounter them. They are a symbol of the warm, fruitful relationship that now exists between Japan and Canada, and a reminder that we should all treasure and nurture this friendship."