Yesterday, on the International Day of Peace, a new Rotary Peace Pole was unveiled in Clarington’s newest public park.
It was installed at the new Zoo Lands park at 45 Barley Mill Cres. in Bowmanville.
“I want to thank the Bowmanville Rotary Club for this meaningful gift,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster.
Written in several languages, the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” is a simple but powerful call to action.
“It reminds us that the Clarington community is rooted in respect, kindness, and compassion. It sparks pride in how we care for one another and inspires us to keep building an even more peaceful future, together,” said the mayor.
The 2-metre-high pole is intended to inspire unity among people of all cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. It’s message was authored by the late Masahisa Goi of Japan after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and is now an international message of peace, with over 250,000 Peace Poles planted in nations worldwide.
Inscription In Eight Languages
Over 20,000 of the white vinyl poles have been installed by Rotary Clubs around the globe, the latest being gifted to Clarington by the Bowmanville Rotary Club as a feature of the newly-opened park on the former Bowmanville Zoo lands. It’s message of Peace will be inscribed in English, French, Ojibway, Mandarin, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic and American Sign Language.
“We wanted to truly reflect the world and our community,” says Bowmanville Rotarian Joe Solway, who led the project. “Peacebuilding is one of the seven areas of focus for Rotary, and what better way to reflect that than with this message of hope and unity. When we approached the town about the project last spring, the mayor and staff gave their full support.”