100 PEACE POLES ~ Celebrating 100 YEARS OF ROTARY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
January 10, 2024
To recognise the centenary of the Rotary Club of Adelaide in South Australia during 2023 – 2024 a goal to donate 100 Peace Poles to schools, community groups and not for profit organisations has proven so popular that well over the 100 Peace Poles have already been installed.
The Peace Poles symbolise the message of peace, inspiring unity among people from around the world. The popular project began from an initiative inspired by the Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin to celebrate the centenary of Rotary in Australia and New Zealand in 2020-2021. Rotary Clubs across South Australia are continuing this legacy. There has been an overwhelming positive response from the community, especially from schools where over three quarters of the Peace Poles have already been installed.
The Rotary Club of Adelaide is proud to lead this important community initiative, which includes a recent installation at the world-famous cricket, football, and entertainment precinct The Adelaide Oval. The aim is to not only spread the message of peace across South Australia but to remind everyone that peace begins in our hearts, our homes and in our communities. The Peace Poles provide an opportunity for everyone to feel empowered to become Peace Builders and to inspire others to think and act in the spirit of peace.
This initiative will see all the Peace Poles mapped online, creating a Peace Pole trail across South Australia.
Our Peace Poles have also been installed in Kandy, Sri Lanka in partnership with the Rotary Club of Kandy, and in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda in partnership with Rotary and Rotaract Clubs in the refugee settlement.
The Rotary Club of Adelaide is also in discussions with other peace building organisations to have several Peace Poles installed in a Peace Park in the centre of the city of Adelaide. The vision is to see the Peace Park revitalised, encouraging more visitors to the park and to reflect on how they as an individual have the power within to create peace. Visitors will be encouraged on reflection to make a personal commitment to help create peace in their hearts, their homes, and their community.
Benefits
The Peace Poles are being used to promote learning. They are playing an important role in furthering children and young people’s understanding of peace.
In schools they help students learn to develop ethical understanding and to develop personal and socialcapabilities as they learn to understand themselves and others more effectively.
The Peace Poles are sparking discussion about what peace is. They help students and adults alike to express empathy and demonstrate respect for others.
With the help of Rotary, schools and community organisations across South Australia are creating a ripple effectof peace that spreads far and wide, transforming lives and leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come.
Peace Poles are helping with mental health and wellbeing, providing opportunities for children and adults toreflect and find solutions and reassurance in these difficult times.
WORLD DAY CEREMONIES IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
This year there have been over 100 Peace Poles ceremonies across the state where the words of the Chinese Philosopher Laozi have been recited.
Together, we have pledged to carry the spirit of peace in our hearts, to uphold Rotary’s ideals of service aboveself, and to work tirelessly to ensure that the inscription on every Peace Pole becomes a reality: ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth.’
CREATING PEACEFUL PLACES
The Peace Poles have been placed in areas that provides an opportunity for children and adults to reflect and feel at peace. Most are placed alongside a tree with shade, and seating close by. A QR code is placed on the Peace Pole which when scanned takes observers to the Rotary Peace Poles website at https://rotarypeacepoles.world/ .
All the Peace Poles are being mapped to this website. Observers will realise how citizens young and old are actively promoting peace within their communities.
Pete – Our Peace Pole Maker
We are very fortunate to have in Australia a designated International Peace Pole maker, Peter Clapinski. Pete lovingly crafts each and every Peace Pole with positive intentions and care and works closely with the Rotary Club of Adelaide to significantly bring down the transportation costs of delivering each Peace Pole. Each of the PVC Peace Poles are now made of 90% recycled plastic. We are so grateful to Pete for being such a wonderful Peace Pole maker.
Submitted by:
Heidi Unferdorben
Past President
Chair, Centenary Committee
Rotary Club of Adelaide Inc.