To the uninitiated, town twinning and town hall receptions are probably regarded as peripheral, possibly unnecessary, functions of the council.

But the reality is that both play an important part in how we show respect for the past and hope for the future.

I had the great honour this week of presenting commemorative scrolls to members of 13 organisations who represent those who fought in the Second World War.

Though the years pass and their numbers become fewer, it is important we do not forget the sacrifice that generation made. Of the 84 million who fought in the Second World War, more than half were killed or injured.

The best way to preserve a memory is for adults to spend time passing it on to their children, explaining what happened and answering questions.

As a child growing up on Teesside I remember my father taking me for long walks which included visits to the various branches of the Mallon family. I always enjoyed these trips - and not just because at each house the relative would push a sixpence into my hand.

One of my favourite visits was to the home of Uncle Fonzie.

His real name was Alfonsus which means "ready for battle" which was quite appropriate really because Uncle Fonzie had led a life to match any ripping yarn.

As a prisoner of war he once grabbed an axe and chased a German guard after hearing his cousin, a gunner in a Lancaster bomber, had been shot down and killed. He was only subdued when a posse of guards bludgeoned him to the ground with rifle butts.

Uncle Fonzie bore the scars of an active war - a bullet wound on one side of his body and a bayonet scar on the other. Twice he escaped from POW camps - once in the middle of winter when he hid in a snowdrift.

I always remember he told me the war was about good and evil. He didn't like talking about how people died but he once told me that they lived their lives the way they did so that the next generation could have a better life.

The trips with my father also included detours to airfields at Thornaby and Middleton St George and dad explained how, 20 years earlier, the Hurricanes and Lancasters would take off from there during the war.

It's likely that those sorties would include raids on the industrial towns and cities of the Rhineland, including Middlesbrough's twin town, Oberhausen.

In one of life's intriguing twists, I have become good friends with Klaus Wehling, the Mayor of Oberhausen.

When my father was showing me the airfields, it appears the young Klaus was learning how the whole town would gather in a bunker as British bombers flew overhead.

I visited that bunker, which is the size of a large hotel, in Oberhausen, in June. It is now a museum and a memorial to those who died in the war.

Middlesbrough's connection with Oberhausen began with youth exchange visits shortly after the war. Hundreds of young people from both towns have benefited and many lasting friendships have been made.

During the war people lived their lives the way they did, and many died so that their children could enjoy a better life.

We can do the same by encouraging our children to learn about and respect the sacrifices of the past whilst also strengthening the friendship that now exists between former enemies.

Published: 09/12/2005