30th ANNIVERSARY OF THE TWINNING
1968-1998
HELSTON-SASSO MARCONI
The Twinning between towns
of different countries developed around the 1960, when the world
division into two different military blocks, i.e. East countries-Warsaw
pact- and west countries-NATO- arrived at an alarming state, thus
intensifying the politics of rearmament, both conventional and
nuclear, encouraging also the aggression or repression against
the people who were looking to gain their national indipendence.
It looked like it would result in a new world war, this time with
atomic weapons.
The municipalities, worried
about the danger, decided to establish a "people didlomacy"
to get over the limitations of "governments diplomacy".
So some friendship and Twinning among towns of different countries
started.
The occasion for us presented
itself at the Mondial Congress of Twinned Towns, organised by
the Mondial Federation of the Twinned Towns which raised again
the right of people to establish a politic based on peace.
In this situation our Municipality,
as many other towns in Bologna area, looked for a twin-town, in
the name of the great scientist Guglielmo Marconi. When we came
home from Aosta, we weren't completely satisfied. On that occasion
1000 municipalities were present: basically coming from Italy,
France, Africa; very few from Great Britain or North Europe. We
made however some contacts with the city of Stain Ville in France,
near Paris, but this contact didn't have a follow-up.
Based on our willingness,
we went on in our search following the instruction we found in
the book by Mr. L. Solari "Marconi in privacy and at work",
printed in 1940 by Mondadori.
This volume reports all the
studies, triumphs and glories of G. Marconi, in the acquisition
of space, so we learnt about Poldhu, Cornwall, as the place where
the great scientist made important conquests.
We followed ideally the progress
which starts in Pontecchio (first experiment in 1895 with the
rifle shot) to Pholdhu (G.B.) where 6 years later the exceptional
experiment to trasmit a signal to St. John in Newfoundland took
place, overcoming the problem of the earth's curve and crossingthe
Atlantic ocean.
We looked for Poldhu in our
maps, but we could not find it. Nevertheless we didn't abandon
our sea4rch: we decided to write a letter to "his Worship
the Major of Poldhu - Cornwall. We thought "There must certainly
be a Mayor ". In this letter we introduce ourselves and purpose
(we learned later, that this letter addressed to the Mayor of
Poldhu, was immediately placed in the archives,also because it
was written in Italian).
Only later it was taken into
consideration. Much time later we received a letter from the Mayor
of Helston informing us that Poldhu was part of the Helston Municipality,
in that city there was a small museum containing Marconi relics,
and on the cliff there was a monument to remember Marconi and
his experiments in 1901.
At last we had found the partner
we were looking for!
We had then, more than now,
some problems, difficulties, translations, authorisations, distance,
transports, etc... 30 years have passed since then, today everything
is easier.
A further correspondence informed
the town of Helston about our willingness to create a Twinning
between our two towns, in the name of peoples friendship, and
in the name of Guglielmo Marconi. We received a positive answer,
and an invitation to visit Helston to discuss in details the matter,
and to programme the following steps.
We informed the Prefecture
in Bologna about what was happening: during these years many of
the proposed Twinnings were cancelled to avoid expense to the
towns ("peoples diplomacy" was not very popular with
governments of that period). The Prefecture accepted, by exception,
because of the important meaning.
Locally an interest arose,
more and more relevant. A twinning committee wae formed: the Town
Council decided to accept the invitation from Helston Town Council
to pay them a visit on the 8th May, the day when in Cornwall the
Flora Day is celebrated. I as Mayor, Mr. Betti Dino and Mr. Claudio
Canova were elected members of the delegation.
We left full of excitement,
following the instructions we had received from Helston: arrival
at Heathrow airport in London, train from Victoria Station, departure
from London-Paddington and arrival in Truro,Cornwall where someone
would be waiting for us. We were aware that we had some difficulties:
concerning British habits and language: none of us could speak
a single word of English!
We arrived in Truro on a dark
and wet night: on the platform we found none waiting for us. We
set out towards the exit and met a man who opened his jacket and
showed us a big gold chain complete with a gold medal (the chain
wsa the Mayor's banner, but we didn't know that!).
The man tried to speak with
us in an unknown language: we spoke Italian with the addition
of some words in French, the conversation was impossible until
15-20 minutes later whentwo cars arrived with two people and an
interpreter (Mr. Martin) speaking Latin more then Italian. We
began to introduce ourselves, we got into the car and we were
taken to the hotel. Another shocking impression was the cars direction:
the cars went in the wrong direction in the wrong lane! the left
one , and at every crossing it seemed to us that we would crash
into the cars coming from the opposite direction!
It was nine thirty in the
evening of the seventh of May 1968 and the interpreter requested
us that the official speech be read the following day at the Flora
Day party, on the 8th of May. Wehad to write immediately, and
using block letters in order that he could understand the words
and provide the immediate translation. Our speech was ready at
midnight.
The following morning othernovelties,
the big feast of the Flora Day attended by thousands and thousands
of people. This show takes place in every weather condition, even
in case of driving rain. In the morning the pupils and students,
at midday the youngsters and in the afternoon elderly people from
the procession led by the Mayor and the band, and parade along
the roads to the tune of traditional Flora Day hymm. I was an
exceptional and wonderful experience, with the participation of
the citiziens.
At the official luncheon at
midday some other novelties were waiting for us: the access to
the Town Council Chamber was announced (with the blow by a pummelled
stick) by the town clerk wearing a white wig. Both the Mayor of
Helston and the Mayor of Sasso Marconi entered the Town Council
Chamber, received by the applause of the audience: the Mayors
of the Cornwall town and their wives (two wear a smaller golden
chain).At the end of the official luncheon, the Mayor of Helston
welcomed us, on behalf of Helston town and called upon us to speak.
On that occasion, we thanked
for the hospitality and solemnly we proposed a Twinning in the
name of frienship among people and in the name of the great scientist
Guglielmo Marconi who linked our two towns and countries for his
discoveries and his succes and represented a strong cultural and
historic link for our frienship. Our proposal was addressed to
an interested audiance who, after the traslation sprange to a
roaring applause i'll never forget.
In the evening the Flora Day
celebrations ended on green field, with the official exchange
of gifts, and the engagement to meet again the following day to
go on with the discussion, the visit of the town and Marconi places.
In the morning we visited the museum and the Poldhu monument where,
moved, we lay a wreath, the hotel where Marconi stayedband we
defined the programme for the following day : Penzace, Land's
End, Falmounth.
In the afternoon we where
present at the election of two councillors: Helston Town Council
is renewed yearly with the election of two councillors from four
who run for the seat. At the end, both losers and winners have
to make a speech from the Mayors balcony, even if no-one listens
to them. The town of Helston was composed of 2 cities: Helston
and Porthleven. The Mayor is chosen alternatively from Helston
and Porthleven, every two years.
Our proposal was accepted
and we left with the pledge to prepare the solemn pact that would
be signed the following year, in October during the Marconi days,with
the testimony of the chairman of Fundation G. Marconi, in the
presence of Marquise Maria Cristina and Princess Elettra Marconi.
The pact was signed in the
old Town Hall of Sasso Marconi.Since than 30 years passed.
We repeated the same cerimony
in 1973, in the presence of the chairman of The region of Emilia
Romagna on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the Twinning,
to open the new Town Hall.
The Twinning was successful
and straightened through the years in the name of Guglielmo Marconi
and thanks to the willing of science, cultural and sport associations,
scholls, councillors, interpreters, citizens, students and particularly
many mothers who received and accommodated English children (as
many English mothers received Sasso Marconi Children too). They
learnt the English language, got to know other children, made
new friends, even if they are far from here, with different traditions
who live and will maintain a deep friendship between Helston and
Sasso Marconi.
I would like to thank all
of you and send my thoughts also towards those who are no longer
here with us, but who i'll never forget.
The Twinning continues and
will last a long time! We hope it can became even wider and include
St. John in Newfoundland.
MARIO CORALLI
by magazine "Sasso 98"
Translation by Marks Stephen Howard
Mario Coralli Mayor of the
Sasso Marconi from years 1965 at 1974
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