WAGGA WAGGA ROTARY CLUB PEACE PROJECT
Mr SCHIPP (Wagga Wagga) [5.42]: I bring to the attention of the House a matter initiated by the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga - Kooringal Incorporated - involving a grass roots campaign to promote peace throughout the world, particularly through the Rotary movement. The movement has 40,000 members in Australia, 1.2 million members worldwide and operates in 149 countries or 39 geographic areas. Therefore, it is an ideal vehicle to promote this initiative. In 1991, the then president of the local Rotary club, Tony Quinlivan, initiated a project and two years later, on 23 February 1993, Rotary World Understanding and Peace Day, a large monument - a symbol of peace - was unveiled comprising a globe of the world behind a gold dove. On that day the former President of Rotary International, Royce Abbey, unveiled the Rotary peace symbol and the mayor of Wagga Wagga, councillor Pat Brassil, declared Wagga Wagga the world's first peace city.
One year later, on 23 February this year, Kooringal Rotary Club, with the assistance of Rotary Down Under, launched the Rotary peace badge in Wagga Wagga. It is hoped that this may become an initiative for the international Rotary movement. The objective of the project is to promote, support and inspire peace by encouraging places throughout the world to display the symbol and become towns and cities of peace. It is hoped that the symbol will be sold each year on Rotary World Understanding and Peace Day, 23 February, with the proceeds assisting victims of wars and disasters. The message was spread to the Rotary Convention in Melbourne last year and will be continued at this year's convention in Taipei. The project has had strong support from past presidents of Rotary International, Prime Ministers and world leaders, including Mother Teresa. Wagga Wagga Mayor Pat Brassil and Wagga Wagga City Council have been supportive in every possible way. The Rotary Club of Belfast distributed a video of the project to all 70 clubs in Ireland.
Moscow has indicated that it wishes to take part in the project, and in June Manila will seek to become the first peace city in Asia. Rotarian Geoffrey Little, known as the smiling policeman, has been appointed a special emissary to promote the peace project for the Kooringal Rotary Club in Asia. He travels widely and is doing a wonderful job. I had the privilege of being at a Rotary launch at Wagga Wagga where Geoff Little was a speaker. He is a great public relations man for the police, but as a Rotarian he brought forward a compelling message using the letters of peace. He said that the P represented police in the community; the E represented education; the A represented the army of peacekeepers - the price of peace is eternal vigilance; the C represented community service provided by clubs such as Rotary; and the E stood for the environment, which we should all protect.
Mother Teresa endorsed the project and outlined her views on peace in a message to the club. I was surprised to hear - albeit secondhand - that Geoff Little is required to seek permission to wear his police uniform when he addresses public meetings. I have sought an explanation from the Commissioner of Police, Tony Lauer. I ask for all honourable members, particularly Rotarians, to take an interest in the project and assist with its promotion. I hope that Sydney will become a peace city well before the year 2000. I have sent material to the Sydney Rotary Club, which I hope will take up the cause.