Australians for peace at the Sydney Peace Pavilion

The 1980s was a time of peace building all over the world. So much so that the united Nations declared the International Year of Peace (now the work continues, highlighting the creation of a living culture of peace and non-violence in the year 2000 International Year for the Culture of Peace). Australia emerged as a rich source for mining uranium and many of the people who wanted to say and do something about peace at all levels felt the time was pressing. Gillian Fisher journeyed to the centre of Australia to protest the mining. She returned determined to make contributions to peace work wherever she could. And she found a multi faceted program developing in Hyde Park, the large and beautiful lung in the middle of downtown Sydney. Throughout the summer month of January people from all the main peace organisations, performers, artists, ordinary people were coming together each lunch time to hear about the work being done to promote personal, community and international peace. The Peace Pavilion sat lightly on the land, fashioned by hand from timber, a canvas roof and sliding doors that made the building to be a nucleus of light for meditation, a display space or a stage. Gillian came every day for a month. She met all the speakers and performers, and most of the visitors and passers-by and she shared her experiences of a rich life and a transforming trip to the ancient centre of the land. She documented it all in photos too and researched all the organisations where people who wanted to make a difference could make a start. And then she gifted her work to all who had made a contribution to the Peace Pavilion. This is a very even handed book. There are lots of inspirational quotes and background information on all sorts of people, there's no judgment about the relative value of all the activities that the book touches on. (Ref: Margaret Newton)