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Volume 20: Jan – Feb Vol 24 September October 2014 2014 | Editor: Peter Airey

United Nations Day 2014 UN International Day of Peace Friday 24th October (details page 4) Sunday 21st September 2014 Peace is a long road that we must travel together – ! step by step, beginning today. Help us continue our proud tradition of marking UN Ban Ki-moon UN Day Peace Message 2014 Day with the annual Cenotaph Ceremony honouring The dawning of World Peace Day 2014 was marked Australian uniformed personnel who have served the by Yoga enthusiasts who gathered at sunrise at UN with such distinction as Peacekeepers followed by to salute the sun for peace. the UN Day Luncheon in Parliament House. ! Later a group led by Olympic gold medallist Sally The details are as follows: P e a r s o n , i n association with Wreath Laying Ceremony: ‘Bridge Climb’ TIME: 10:45 am, Friday 24th Oct. s c a l e d t h e PLACE: Cenotaph, Martin Place Harbour Bridge to sound the Peace Distinguished Guest: bells at noon. Lieut General John Sanderson AC The solemnity of Former Governor of WA and Chief of Army the message of Annual UN Day Luncheon: p e a c e w a s m a r k e d TIME: 12:15 pm, Friday 24th October The ringing of Peace bells over throughout the on World PLACE: Parliament House, Macquarie St day in a number peace Day 2014 Guest of Honour: Professor Ramesh Thakur o f c h u r c h Director, Centre for Nuclear Non-proliferation s e r v i c e s . A Solemn High mass for Peace was held in St Mary’s and Disarmament ANU; and a former Assistant UN Cathedral followed by the release of white doves in . Secretary General the lower forecourt and the pealing of church bells. Professor Thakur will speak on the timely theme: Peace services were held in Anglican churches in The United Nations and the Elusive Quest for Peace Port Macquarie, Point Clare and at the Apostolic ! Church, Yagoona. Interfaith services followed by RSVP Luncheon 20th October ( Peter Airey at the release of which doves were held in he Lindfield [email protected] Mobile: 0404 257 515) For Uniting Church Hall and the Leigh memorial Uniting Church. Peacebuilding was the theme of the reservations and bookings see page 4. interfaith service at the Bahai House of worship, Afternoon Tea NSW Speakers Garden Ingleside, TIME: 3 pm Friday 7th November Other events included a Community Forum in PLACE: Speakers Garden NSW Parliament Gosford and a tree planting ceremony at the Strathfield Campus of the Australian Catholic This is a traditional event, hosted by the Speaker University. which rounds off the UN Week celebrations: As Ban Ki-moon reminded ‘Peace is a long road’. All welcome: Donation (suggested) $10 at the door We are looking forward to building on the Support from the for the Cenotaph momentum next year. Ceremony is gratefully acknowledged Dr Zeny Edwards, UN Day of Peace Coordinator.

United Nations Association of (NSW) Inc. ABN 85 071 992 936 PO Box K229 Haymarket NSW 1240 Humanist House, 10 Shepherd St, Chippendale NSW 2008 Email: [email protected] Tel: 0456 124 965 Web: www.unaa.org.au ! ! UNAA Executive Director President’s Message Beth Shaw is leaving the UNAA after four years as ! Dear friends, Executive Director to take up new challenges in the corporate sector as well as to assume the Presidency ! Since I spoke to you last we of the Australian National Committee of UN Women. have had a very successful ! UN Peace Day which was In a fitting tribute to Beth’s conducted over the period work with the UNAA, the 19-21 Sep 14. This was N a t i o n a l P re s i d e n t D r managed and coordinated Russell Trood noted by Dr Zeny Edwards. The ! fi r s t e v e n t o n 1 9 t h ‘We owe a deep debt of September, involved teams distributing UN Peace gratitude to Beth. In the Day flags and other memorabilia Central, Town several years she has Hall and Central stations. Peace Day on 21 occupied the Executive September commenced with a yoga salute to the D i re c t o r ro l e s h e h a s sunrise at Bondi Beach, peaked with our younger inspired and driven a great deal of much needed members scaling the Harbour Bridge with Sally change within the our organisation and been tireless Pearson on the Harbour Bridge Climb, and in developing our external links with government, culminated with several churches conducting UN business and the non-profit sector.’ Peace Day ceremonies. Congratulations to Sally ! for her second prestigious “The Don Award” by Her many friends and colleagues in NSW wish Beth the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. all the very best for the future. ! My sincerest appreciation goes to Zeny for !organising such a wonderful series of events. Spreading the Message I hope to see you at the UN Day ceremony which is being held at the Martin Place Cenotaph on 24 ! Oct 14. The Distinguished Guest is General One of the on-going aims of the UNAA(NSW) is Sanderson who has significant peacekeeping to improve our public profile through the media. history. It will conclude with a UNAA luncheon at ! the State Parliament House. If you have not The Peace Day celebrations have been booked please do so. particularly successful. The Bridge Climb with ! Sally Pearson was extensively covered. For And don’t forget to reserve the date for the UNAA instance, the reference in the Australian can be Annual Dinner on 28 Nov 14 at the Castlereagh viewed at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ Boutique Hotel (Masonic Club). It’s a great night news/latest-news/bell-tolls-for-peace-atop- in a wonderful location. harbour-bridge/story- ! Kel Gleeson fn3dxiwe-1227065787406 President UNAA (NSW)

The Point Magazine published an article “ Sunrise Yoga on Bondi Beach heralds Peace Day” http:// Central Coast Community Forum www.thepointmagazine.com.au/post.php? ! s=2014-09-11-sunrise-yoga-on-bondi-beach- The Central Coast Branch of the UNAA(NSW) in heralds-peace-day . association with the Gosford Uniting Church held ! a Community Forum to mark the UN Day of The event at St Mary’s Cathedral was described in Peace on Monday 22nd September. the “Sydney Catholic” at http:// The Forum was led by three distinguished sydneycatholic.org/news/latest_news/ speakers: 2014/2014922_1068.shtml Jane Singleton Director of the Sydney Peace Foundation, and former presenter and senior In other areas, congratulations are due to reporter with the ABC; Pamela Lemoine had two major letters in the (Central) Coast Community News; one on the Richard Broinowski Adjunct Professor, Media and UNAA Conference (20 August); and the other on Communications , author and former senior diplomat; and Climate change issues (17 September). Sister Trish Madigan - A Dominican Sister and ! Director of the Dominican Centre for Inter-faith Ministry, Education and Research UN International Day of Peace Events 21 September 2014

St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney ! ! The Baha’i House of Worship More than 2000 people ! gathered at St Mary’s Dr Patricia Jenkings Cathedral to mark the re p re s e n t e d t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n ’s 3 1 s t UNAA(NSW) at a International Day of Peace. s p e c i a l s e r v i c e The Choral High Mass was m a r k i n g celebrated by Father Paul International Peace H i l m e r, D e a n o f t h e Day at the Baha’i Cathedral. House of Worship Ingleside, The photo Those present then s h o w s t h e g a t h e r e d i n t h e presentation to Dr forecourt to witness Jenkings (centre) of the release of doves a t o k e n o f symbolising peace appreciation. a n d t o h e a r t h e p e a l i n g o f t h e The service featured some beautiful choral Cathedral bells. music. At the following reception, Judy Hassall, daughter of a Gallipoli veteran reflected on how Sincerest thanks are her father’s legacy inspired her to work for due to the Cathedral peace. staff and to the UN Release of the white Peace Day volunteer doves symbolising Bridgett Leslie. peace at St Mary’s ! A full report is in the forecourt. Lindfield Uniting Church S y d n e y C a t h o l i c Photo: Faye Combe This is a paraphrase of a report by Malcolm Allerding of the Interfaith Service at the Lindfield News at http://sydneycatholic.org/news/ Uniting Church (LUC) celebrating the UN International Day of Peace. Yes, in some parts of the world there is a level of Peace Roundtables peace, but in far too many other parts there is way too much ‘not peace’. Lindfield Uniting ! Church at least hopefully encouraged an The UN International Day of Peace program is increase in peace amongst the 100 people who being backed by a series of five Peace attended the Interfaith Peace Service, at 12 R o u n d t a b l e s noon on Sunday 21 September, the United hosted by the Nations International Day of Peace. The UN L e n d L e a s e Secretary General Ban Ki-moon puts it this way, Group over the ‘Peace is one of humanity’s most precious next 12 months. needs’. Or in the words of Mother Teresa, ‘Let ! peace fill our hearts, our world and our The agree topics universe’. are: • W h a t i s Our prayers came from a mix of different people Peace? groups – Aboriginal, Baha’i, Buddhist, Catholic, • B u i l d i n g Hindu, Islam, Jewish, Sikh, Sufi, and Lindfield Peace - The Participants in the First Uniting Church. We lit peace candles, watched mechanisms Roundtable Planning Meeting white doves fly free, sang songs together and and need for hosted by the Lend lease we listened to music. Group, collaborative There was an opening prayer by the Rev Neil effort; Eriksson of the LUC, introductory remarks by Dr • The Economics of Peace; Daryl Le Cornu, UNAA(NSW) and a moving • Promoting Peace; and homily by Dr Fiona Scott of the Baha’i faith. !• Changing the Narrative. ! ! Annual UN Day Luncheon ! Cenotaph Ceremony The annual luncheon at Parliament House is one of The Cenotaph Ceremony at Martin Place to the highlights of the UNAA(NSW) year. honour Australian peace-keepers will precede the As note on page 1, the luncheon is scheduled for Luncheon. Guests are invited to be seated by 12:15 for 12:45 Friday 24th October in the Strangers 10:30 am. Details are on page 1. D i n i n g R o o m o f The Distinguished Guest is L/General John Parliament House. Sanderson AC Former Governor of WA. The Guest of Honour Representatives from Government and from all is Professor Ramesh walks of life have Thakur, Director of the been invited. C e n t r e f o r N o n - This year marks the p r o l i f e r a t i o n a n d 50th anniversary of Disarmament ANU the first Australian who will discuss the p e a c e - k e e p i n g UN and the Elusive c o n t i n g e n t t o Quest for Peace, a Margaret Piper AM presenting Cyprus. The High topic which is on all of the keynote address at the UN Commissioner from our minds. Professor Day Luncheon 2013 Cyprus will help us Thakur is a former mark this important The Hon Bronwyn Bishop Senior Vice Rector of occasion. MP speaking at the Cenotaph Ceremony 2013 the UN University and Assistant UN Secretary The ceremony will General. on behalf of Prime Minister commence with the Tony Abbott Those who attended last year will recall the inspiring pealing of the bells address by Margaret Piper AM. in Martin Place. The UN Flag will be flying on the Sydney Harbour The luncheon will be attended by representatives of Bridge. Government, civil society, the UN family and members of the Consular Corps. We are particularly grateful to Support from the City of Sydney is gratefully our Parliamentary Host, Mr Mark Coure MP Member acknowledged, for Oatley. ! We sincerely hope to see you there. The standard cost Afternoon Tea: Speakers Garden is $89 per ticket and $79 for students and The UN Week events will conclude with an accompanying teachers. A payment slip is below. afternoon tea generously hosted by the NSW Peter Airey [email protected] M: 0404 257 515 Speaker in the Speakers Garden (see page 1)

Payment Slip (UN Day Luncheon) Number tickets @$89 …………… Number student/teacher tickets @ $79 ………………. Total cost: $……………………… Name (for name card) ………………………………….. 1) Through Tribooking: http://www.trybooking.com/102014 2) Cheque or money order: Make payable to the UNAA(NSW) and post to the address below. 3) Credit card (Visa or Mastercard only) Amount: $...... Card number:______/ ______/ ______/ ______Expiry date: __ _ / __ _ Name on card/ Signature: (if posted) ………………………………………………………………….. 4) Direct bank transfer: account name: United Nations Assoc of Aust NSW: BSB: 062 734 account number: 2812 2520 Branch: 48 Martin Place Sydney NSW (Please indicate your name on transfer.) Postal address UNAA (NSW) PO Box K229 HAYMARKET NSW 1240Type to enter text