A RIVERLAND council will play host to a foreign dignitary next week, with the Japanese ambassador to Australia set to visit the former Loveday internment camp site.
Shingo Yamagami will meet with Berri Barmera Council elected members at a reception on the Berri Riverside Holiday Park’s cruise boat next Thursday, May 13, followed by a tour of the former Loveday camp with local historian Rosemary Gower on Friday, May 14.
Berri Barmera Mayor Peter Hunt said he was looking forward to welcoming Mr Yamagami to the region.
“We’re pleased to be able to host the ambassador and to have him visit the Loveday internment camp site,” he said.
“Council are fully supportive of his visit, and we will do everything we can to make his trip a success.”
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Loveday internment camp, founded in 1941.
Ms Gower will also host a series of lectures on the camp this month in Barmera, Waikerie, Loxton, Renmark and Berri as part of South Australia’s History Festival.