Anzac Eve Peace Vigil
04 Apr 2016 - by
Canberrans participating in the lantern-lit Anzac Eve Peace Vigil will be in step with all those Australians who want a shift from commemorating wars towards finding the ways to peace, according to organisers.
The Canberra Peace Vigil is held on the evening of 24 April each year with goodwill from the Australian War Memorial and its Director, Dr Brendan Nelson. The vigil was initiated five years ago by long-time peace activist and master lantern maker, Graeme Dunstan.
The Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture is joining local community groups in co-hosting this year's vigil, with Executive Director Professor Stephen Pickard describing the event as "a beautiful public ceremony where people of all ages and cultural backgrounds can come together to share their sorrow about war, and their longing for wisdom and peace".
"The tradition of vigil can deepen the kinds of memory that are held in military and political organisations," he said. "Vigil is also a way to broaden our commemorations. In many cultures the eve of important religious festivals is set aside to open people's hearts through quiet reflection."
"The 101st year since the Anzacs' campaign at Gallipoli is a critical transition point in moving public rhetoric away from the impact of past wars on Australian culture to questions about the kind of country and world we are shaping for our children and grandchildren," Johanna McBride from A Chorus of Women said. "While we remember and grieve for those who lost their lives in war, we can't keep doing Anzac Day the same way for another 100 years!"
The Anzac Eve Peace Vigil will begin at sunset on top of Mt Ainslie. Elders will welcome everyone to that special place, with its view out over country and city. The peace lanterns will be lit.
"Laments, love songs, community singing, the quiet lantern-lit walk down Mt Ainslie to the forecourt of the War Memorial for storytelling, poetry and songs followed by a night watch round a campfire near the lake with a cup of soup –– all these elements help us to remember how much we cherish peace, as well as the terrible human and environmental cost of every war," Professor Pickard said.
The Centre will promote the vigil through church and interfaith networks, with The Rev Canon Susanna Pain, ACC&C Associate Director for Liturgy, The Arts and Spiritual Care, leading the activities in the War Memorial forecourt. Each year A Chorus of Women brings original songs to the event, including some written for the Peace Vigils, and Musical Director Johanna McBride co-ordinates offerings by other Canberra musicians and poets. The Chorus and Winiata Puru will lead community singing.
You can download the order of proceedings here.