Runners from the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run made a visit to St Joseph’s Primary School, Taree, to spread the important message of global peace.
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The Peace Run, in its 30th year, began in Brisbane on May 24 and will visits towns and cities along the east coast, such as Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne.
The run will then finish in Adelaide on July 4.
NSW co-ordinator of the peace run Animesh Harrington said the message of peace resonates with children.
"The children are the most important part really, we try to visit as many schools as we can.
"They are the future and if they have a feeling for peace and they have the ideal that one day this world can be a peaceful place.
"The kids have it within them already and it needs just that little bit of encouragement sometimes and they can carry it forward.
"They are the ones that will carry that forward so positively,” Mr Harrington said.
The visit was held in conjunction with the school’s celebrations of National Reconciliation Week, with students Gabrielle Monaghan and Kuliyah Simon drawing connections with the Peace Run.
Bishop William (Bill) Wright of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and Father George Anthicadu of the Taree and Wingham local parishes were in attendance for the visit.
The bishop blessed the torch and runners as a custom of the peace run.
Mr Harrington said the concept of running with a torch is symbolic of the message they are spreading around the country.
"The torch that we run with is like a symbol of hope and that hope within us and by passing the torch from one person to another carries on that hope for peace,” Mr Harrington said.
In an address to the school, runner Amalendu Edelsten noted that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have held the torch in question.
The group spent time in the Taree CBD before making their way to Forster.