This week’s regular Rotary Melbourne meeting took the form of a round-table discussion focusing on Peace, led by our esteemed member Rob McGuirk, who has been involved over the years in a number of peace initiatives both in Rotary and elsewhere. It was quite an intimate gathering, involving 12 members and guests in the Collins Street boardroom, magnificently catered by Jo Mavros.
Peace is the cornerstone of Rotary, its number one area of service being Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution. Rotary Melbourne was designated a Peacebuilder Club in 2019, joining a select group of 9 Clubs in Australia dedicated to maximising their impact as agents of peace. This enables these Clubs to partner with the global Rotary Action Group for Peace.
Our conversation covered the Rotary Peace Fellows program, with acknowledgement to Bob Fels, who ensured that District 9800 held the record for many years for the number of nominated Fellows. Carol Bond felt it should be possible to work more closely with some of the many Peace Fellow Alumni that operate professionally around Melbourne. We recalled our hosting of the first Rotary Peace Symposium in Australasia in 2019, and applauded Rob’s efforts in securing Council permission for the installation of the Peace Bells in what is now called the Rotary Peace Park in South Yarra. There are also over 600 Rotary Peace Poles in schools and community locations across Australia (there’s one in our office).
Rob reminded us that everyone can contribute to peace by following the four steps that are represented by the Peace Bells:
Thank you PP Robert Fisher for this write up.
