Peace Poles

Originated by Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin as its Rotary Centenary project to instal Peace Poles in 100 schools in Australia, the concept has been so successful that more than 230 installations have now been made.

What is a peace pole?    It is either a wooden or aluminium pole about 150cm tall with 4 sides, each about 5cm wide.   On one side is the wording “May peace prevail on Earth” with the same wording in three non-English languages on the other sides.    These latter three languages are languages which are taught at the school or are representative of significant parts of the school community.

The project ties in with World Peace Day which occurs on September 21.    Partner schools hold a ceremony to celebrate this special day with students taking the leading roles along with a representative of the sponsoring Rotary club.

MASH has now installed 9 poles:  Mont Albert Primary School has 4 and one has been installed at each of Box Hill North Primary School, Wattle Park Primary School, Our Lady’s Primary School, Our Holy Redeemer Primary School and Koonung Secondary College.