Rotary Club of Taree members gathered in Taree Rotary Park on Monday, July 26 to unveil a Peace Pole.
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The club's Peace Pole Project, which commemorates this year being the Centenary of Rotary in Australia, saw three Peace Poles unveiled by General Sir Peter Cosgrove at Bobin Public School, Manning Valley Anglican College, and Taree Public School on June 16.
The Peace Pole at Rotary Park was unveiled by MidCoast Council mayor David West, and is the last of poles to be put in place by the Rotary Club of Taree.
"The world has been going through some ridiculous trauma lately, not only because of the pandemic. There is a great deal of fear within the world at the moment because peace has been threatened," Cr West said.
"I'm standing amongst people here who have given a significant amount of their lives in the care and nurturing of peace and kindness in the world.
"It means a great deal to me to be able to say I unveil this pole in the memory of those who have given their lives to peace, and in the memory of Rotary, forever and a day, who give their lives to peace on earth.
Each Peace Pole has "May peace prevail on earth" written in four languages on the pole. Rotary elected English, Gathang (Biripi language), and Japanese to honour the club's sister Rotary club in Japan, engraved on all four poles. Each recipient of a Peace Pole is able to choose the fourth language. For the Rotary Park pole, the club chose Tok Pisin, the official language of Papua New Guinea.
The Rotary Club of Taree has a close, ongoing liaison of more than 25 years with PNG. The late past District Governor Bob Young was instrumental in having the Kokoda Memorial Hospital built, with funds from the Australian government. Mr Young was at the then Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating's side when the hospital was opened.
"Bob made 44 visits to PNG as a Rotary volunteer," Rotary member Ian Dyball said at the unveiling.
Ian mentioned the significance of the pole being erected in Rotary Park which was built in 1979-1980 under the direction of past president Max Carey, who was at the unveiling. He also thanked past president David Denning for undertaking the Peace Pole Project.
"Full credit must go to David who made the peace poles," he said.
The Rotary Peace Poles were purchased with a Foundation Grant received by the Rotary Club of Taree.
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