Once again we ‘lost’ our Guest Speaker at short notice due to the Covid situation, so Pres. Jeremy stood in and told us all about the Rotary Peace Poles Project. The Project can trace its roots back to Japan in 1954 when Chiyoji Nakagawa arranged for a bell to be donated to the United Nations Headquarters in New York via the United Nations Association of Japan. It is a bonsho (a Buddhist temple bell) that is 60 centimetres in diameter, 1 metre in height, and weighs 116 kg. An International Day of Peace was declared and takes place on 21st September each year, at which time the bell is sounded in honour of World Peace. Bells were installed in other places around the globe, including Canberra, Cowra and Christchurch. The Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin came up with the idea of celebrating 100 years of Rotary in Australia by getting 100 Rotary Clubs to donate 100 Peace Poles to 100 Schools around the country, and these Poles contain the Peace Message ‘May Peace Prevail On Earth’ written in four different languages – one language per panel. The Poles have conical peaks and their shape is significant in Buddhism. Jeremy got to hear of the Project and he started to promote it locally in our Club’s vicinity and we now have 10 such Peace Poles at various Schools. The number around Australia is growing and has passed the 200 mark at last count. The Floreat Primary School has a Peace Pole with the Message inscribed in English, Noongar, Italian and Mandarin. The process is quite straightforward; our Club sponsors the Poles which are then manufactured in Canberra and sent to the relevant School. Peace Poles have also been installed in a number of public parks around the country, and the participating Schools are all delighted with the outcome.