By Andrew Humphries
Nearly 80 years after it began as a response to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II, a worldwide concept based around peace is flourishing among Uniting Church congregations in Tasmania.
Ten years after the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, the first peace pole was erected and, nearly 80 years later, more than 250,000 have been put in place around the world.
The peace pole concept was established by the World Peace Prayer Society in 1955, after the WWII bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The message, ‘may peace prevail on earth’, was authored by Masahisa Goi and is now on peace poles worldwide.
In Australia, the peace poles project is supported by service organisation Rotary, with 287 poles established throughout the country.
Two of them have been erected at Uniting Church congregations in north-east Tasmania, as part of Rotary Tasmania’s plan to have 100 established this year to mark their 100th birthday.
The Beauty Point and Beaconsfield congregations have installed peace poles, a move Rev Peter Grayson-Weeks hopes will gather momentum among other congregations.
Peter, who is Beauty Point Church Council Chair and also conducts occasional services at both churches, says the peace poles are a wonderful initiative in a world increasingly riven by conflict.
They are, he says, playing an important role in sending a simple, but effective, message.
“Each pole contains the words, ‘may peace prevail on earth’, in English and a number of other languages,” Peter says.
“It started as a way of marking the 10th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and, here in Tasmania, Rotary is involved as they celebrate their 100th anniversary.
“Their aim is to have 100 peace poles installed around the state, and Beauty Point was number 29 and Beaconsfield number 51, installed in February and July respectively.”
Peter says the fact that individual poles contain the message of peace in a number of languages makes them effective builders of goodwill in any community.
“Those words of ‘may peace prevail on earth’ are always in Japanese, and in English, but there is also scope to add the message in six further languages, chosen by whichever local community is installing the pole,” he says.
“Those other languages might be ones that are significant in that particular location.
“For example, at Beauty Point we decided to also include the Palawa kani Tasmanian Aboriginal language, and also felt that Hebrew and Arabic languages would be particularly appropriate at this time, given what is happening in the Middle East.
“We have also included the peace message in Tongan, recognising the Pacific Islander seasonal workers who come here.”
Peter says both congregations were quick to embrace the peace poles concept.
“The current West Tamar Rotary President, Kathryn Darlow, is also one of the congregational leaders at Beauty Point, and she raised the possibility last year of installing a peace pole,” Peter says.
“There was instant and unanimous feedback that it was a wonderful idea.
“Following the installation of our pole, Beaconsfield congregation members decided to also establish their own.”
Peter hopes the peace poles will continue to invite reflection from congregation members, as they consider conflicts like those in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“One of the reasons we included Hebrew and Arabic signage on the Beauty Point peace pole was to link our congregation members’ thoughts to a wider world issue,” he says.
“Hopefully as people see it and reflect on it, their thoughts will go to what is happening in the Middle East.
“We hope that out of it might come more reflection in general.”