Reception to meet Vice-Admiral Seizo Kobayashi, His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu and Officers of The Japanese Training Squadron. Given by The Lord Mayor of Melbourne and The Lady Mayoress (Alderman Sir Stephen and Lady Morell). Town Hall, Melbourne, 4th July, 1928.

Duodecimo folding card, 125 x 95 mm, front with embossed crest of the City of Melbourne in blue, 4-page programme printed in sepia sewn in, the first page with photogravure illustration of the Town Hall and the last with a view of Princes Bridge, the centre pages with the programme of the evening’s musical entertainment which included numbers from Sidney Jones’ Edwardian musical The Geisha (cringe!) and Richard Rogers’ The Girl Friend as well as light classical works by Offenbach, Gilbert and Sullivan etc.; aside from a few very light marks to the card, in superb condition.

No example traced in Australian collections.

‘THE JAPANESE SQUADRON. ARRIVAL AT FREMANTLE. A PRINCE BUSY COALING. Perth, Jun l5. The Japanese naval training ships Idzumo and Yokumo arrived at Fremantle this morning, and as the former, which is the flagship, drew alongside the band aboard played ‘Rule, Britannia’ and ‘The Red, White, and Blue.’ On board the two vessels are 87 officers. 16 naval surgeons, 171 midshipmen, and 1,300 ratings. Civilians making the cruise include the principals of five Japanese primary schools, a naval technician, and two cinematographers This morning Vice-Admiral Kobayashi issued the following message for Australia:— ‘It is a matter of great gratification to me on arrival at Fremantle, the first port of call in the Commonwealth of Australia, to be able to convey to the feelings the Japanese people and navy cherish towards the people of Australia. The training squadron under my command
is, in accordance with the long-estabiished procedure of his Majesty’s navy, doing a long cruise in order to instil, amongst other things, the atmosphere essential to the making of naval officers into the minds of the executive engineers, paymasters, midshipmen, and surgeon sub-lieutenants now on board, after their graduation from their respective quarters at home. A Japanese training squadron has been on a visit to Australian waters a good many times, and received every time a most cordial welcome at the hands of the people, to whom it is a most pleasant duty to me on this opportunity to convey His Majesty’s navy’s sense of gratitude. I am happy to see the relations between Australia and Japan getting more cordial and trade and commerce growing every day, and I am sure and pray that this happy relation now existing will last forever, to the good of the peace of the world...’ (From the Adelaide Chronicle, 28 June 1928).