Nobel ceremony a mix of emotions for Gisela

GISELA Gardener says the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony honouring the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) provoked mixed emotions for her.

Ms Gardener said on the one hand she was happy the campaign was being recognised at such a prestigious level, but on the other she was very sad her late husband Bill Williams, who co-founded ICAN, was not alive to witness it.

Mr Williams, a much-loved Torquay doctor and devoted family man, sadly died last year at the age of 57.

He left a legacy in the fields of medicine, literature, Aboriginal health policy and in the anti-nuclear movement that will long survive his passing.

Ms Gardener attended an event at the Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday night, where Attorney-General Martin Pakula congratulated the ICAN group on behalf of the state government.

The Melbourne celebration took place at the same time as an award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, where a delegation from ICAN Australia, including Mr Williams’ daughter Daisy and Barwon Heads’ Tim Wright, who is the Asia-Pacific director and co-founder of ICAN, was present.

ICAN was recognised for its efforts, which led to 122 nations voting to adopt the United Nations’ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on July 7 this year.

The treaty was the world’s first to ban nuclear weapons and will become effective when ratified by 50 nations.

Last year at his funeral, one of Mr Williams’ GP colleagues described surfing with him.

“He was always catching the waves that others thought unrideable, surging forward, scrambling up and leaping to his feet.

“He seldom missed an opportunity, catching four or five times more than anyone else out there.

“This is how he lived his life; seizing every chance to make the most of what was on offer.

“Many thought a campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons was ‘unrideable’, but Bill not only surged and scrambled, he stood up and carved a way forward. Bill’s unbridled energy, principles and compassion were only part of his ability to create change.

“He was above all an extraordinary communicator, speaking truth to power and altering international landscapes.”

In the words of his daughter Lily, “He always listened: he cultivated all of his life like he cultivated his garden. He could change people’s views and open their minds.”