It was a great privilege for our club to participate in the Peace journey with Beaconhills Berwick and Pakenham Campuses. Rev. Kathy Mildred and Rev. Peggy Kruse have been instrumental in ensuring that the Peace Poles' symbolic stature resonates with the students and the staff. This Peace Pole was placed close to the reception area and will be in full view of most of the school community daily.
This was the first Peace Ceremony of two, this time at Beaconhills Berwick Campus and the next at Beaconhills Pakenham Campus on the 22nd of May. The ceremony was held in the school theatre and was a spectacular event with student-led entertainment, speeches, and Bible readings. Some of the speeches were in the languages of the Peace Poles; French and Japanese. Andrew Somers and David Button represented our club on this occasion.
After the ceremony, Andrew and I retired for a delicious morning tea loosely based on the languages of the Peace Poles. After that, we attended their (very comprehensive and informative) school assembly, where Andrew addressed the middle school on Rotary's seven areas of focus. Rotary had already been well-represented in its work on Peace at this stage, but Andrew's sharp presentation rounded it out even further.
This morning, including the preparations that both sides made on the presentation/ceremony side, was a watershed moment for me, a veteran of almost 20 years in Rotary. Suddenly, a lot more pieces fitted into the puzzle of how Rotarians around the world, in fact, make the world a better place in more profound ways than we might see on the surface. All seven areas of focus bring stability into communities and foster self-reliance. Stability and self-reliance eventually lead to peace. I have looked at all the Rotary projects I have been involved in over the years, and I now understand the impact that Rotary has on so many levels, just in those projects. Imagine the impact over all the projects done in our cluster, district and zone. Do we even realise what our collective impact is? I don't think so.
Rotary is not just an organisation that talks about everything it can do. It is an organisation that does what it can do with the people who put the effort into taking words and ideas and turning them into actions and results.
This year’s theme reminds us that peace is not automatic. Peace is the result of action. Action to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure that no one is left behind. Action to end the war on our planet and its natural gifts. Action to uphold and protect the human rights and dignity of every person — especially as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Action to use the timeless tools of diplomacy, dialogue and collaboration to defuse tensions and end conflict. And action for those millions of people living through the horrors of war.
Peace is not only a noble vision for humanity. Peace is a call to action. Let us commit to building, driving, and sustaining peace for all. Rotarians are People of Action.
After the ceremony, Andrew and I retired for a delicious morning tea loosely based on the languages of the Peace Poles. After that, we attended their (very comprehensive and informative) school assembly, where Andrew addressed the middle school on Rotary's seven areas of focus. Rotary had already been well-represented in its work on Peace at this stage, but Andrew's sharp presentation rounded it out even further. 
