STUDENTS, staff and guests gathered at Sebastopol Primary School last Friday to unveil Ballarat\u2019s first peace pole.<\/p>\n
The structure was donated by Rotary Australia as part of an initiative to plant 100 peace poles at 100 schools across the country in commemoration of the service club\u2019s centenary.<\/p>\n
The pole is inscribed with the phrase \u201cMay Peace Prevail on Earth\u201d in English, Wadawurrung, Maori and Ukrainian, and principal Michelle Wilson said she sees it as an example of the school\u2019s multi-cultural identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was wonderful to be able to incorporate our First Nations culture onto the pole, especially, and it\u2019s important that the children are aware of our place and our history,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have the Maori connection because New Zealand are our near-neighbours, and I also wanted to recognise Sebastopol\u2019s history as a Ukrainian borough when it was founded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve positioned it next to our three flagpoles to give it significance and to add to a sense of place that we\u2019ve been able to create in the last 18 months.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unveiling was carried out in part by City of Ballarat representative Cr Belinda Coates, who was also a guest speaker alongside Ms Wilson, Ballarat Rotary Club South president Gary Morgan, and several students.<\/p>\n
Cr Coates said the peace pole promoted an important message for the future of Ballarat, and the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the students that spoke today have spelt it out so beautifully, that at every level we need to think about how we can have peace between each other,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so important at the moment. There are so many places in the world that are impacted by conflict and war and serious unrest.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I think it\u2019s really nice to be thinking about how we build peace from a very young age.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STUDENTS, staff and guests gathered at Sebastopol Primary School last Friday to unveil Ballarat\u2019s first peace pole. The structure was donated by Rotary Australia as part of an initiative to plant 100 peace poles at 100 schools across the country in commemoration of the service club\u2019s centenary. The pole is inscribed with the phrase \u201cMay […]<\/p>\n