Ken Mackenzie Wright, 72, who served as mayor of Mildura when the sister-city arrangement was established in 1969, was given a key to the city of Upland by Mayor Robert Nolan. 

Nolan officially declared May 4 as "Ken Wright Day."' 

Wright, who referred to Nolan as "Your Worship," returned the favor by giving Nolan a Mildura necktie and a bronze coin denoting the Parliament House in Victoria. 

"We exchange ideas with them, and it's always nice to have them over," Nolan said. "I like Ken very much. It's as if I've known him all my life." 

The brief ceremony in Nolan's office was attended by members of the Upland Sister City Association. 

Wright served on the nine-member Mildura City Council from 1961 through 1973 when he was elected to the Parliament of Victoria -- a post comparable to a state senator here. 

Although retired, he remains active as president of the Mildura Sister City Association. Wright last visited Upland in 1969. 

"We're very intrigued with how you people vote here," he said. "You have the (overhead voting) lights come on…we just raise our hands." 

Nolan said the system isn't always popular. 

"In election year, people are very slow to hit that light," he said with a grin. 

The alliance between Upland and Mildura is particularly significant because both cities were founded by brothers George and William Chaffey. 

The Chaffeys, who moved here from Ontario, Canada, in the nid-1880s, were the first to bring water to the bone-dry Inland Valley, paving the way for development of farmland and residential housing. 

Drawing upon natural runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains, the Chaffeys developed the area in a grid work of 10-acre parcels, ensuring that each would get enough water to sustain housing and agriculture. 

The brothers later developed a similar water system in Mildura, using water from the nearby Murray River. 

Situated in the province of Victoria in southeast Australia, the rural city of 25,000 is still surrounded by parched desert. 

But the water system the Chaffeys developed has allowed the region to thrive, Wright said. 

"We produce 40 percent of the country's wines, 90 percent of the dried fruits, 75 percent of the table grapes and 75 percent of the citrus crops," he said. 

Sharon Christensen, president of the Upland Sister City Association, has visited Mildura. The sharing between the two communities has created strong friendships. 

"We feel like a family," she said. 

In a letter to Nolan, Mildura Mayor Eddie Warhurst said he hopes there will continue to be a "regular exchange of visits of both adults and students between our two cities." 

The Upland High School Marching Band is slated to travel to Mildura in July.