Town of Victoria Park residents push council to erect peace pole
Town of Victoria Park residents have called on the council to give peace a chance and install a peace pole in one of its parks.
Peace poles carry a message of “May peace prevail on Earth” in different languages on each of its four or six sides.
The town’s annual meeting of electors on May 27 voted 17-7 in favour of a proposal from Carlisle resident Leigh Dix for the town to install one.
PerthNow Digital Edition.Your local paper, whenever you want it.Read now
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW
A similar proposal from Ms Dix at last year’s electors meeting was defeated 5-8.
The electors meeting motion will be considered by the town council at a future meeting.
The peace pole in New York's Times Square. Credit: The Peace Pole Project
The peace pole at the Khyber Pass. Credit: The Peace Pole Project
It is estimated there are more than 250,000 peace poles in every country in the world dedicated as monuments to peace.
Locations where poles have been placed include the Giza Pyramids, the North Pole and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
The City of Subiaco installed a peace pole in Rankin Gardens in 2016, with the message in English, Noongar, Japanese and Italian.
Ms Dix said she knew of 34 peace poles in the metropolitan area.
“Having one in the Town of Victoria Park would further the town’s social mission of being a connected, diverse and safe place for everyone,” she said.
“It carries a universal message for peace on Earth, something which I believe most would agree is desperately needed in the world at this time.
“It could be in an area of a park where people could sit, relax, reflect and experience the true meaning of peace.”
A peace pole in the Himalayas. Credit: The Peace Pole Project
The Peace Pole Project’s website says poles are available with four or eight languages and are available either six (1.82m), seven or eight feet high.
A four-language pole is available for $US275 ($414) and an eight-language pole for $US325.
They were first thought of in 1955 by Masahisa Goi of Japan as a creative way to convey the message to the public.
The Peace Pole Project began in the late 1970s and the first peace pole outside of Japan was erected in the early 1980s.
Other motions passed at the meeting included creating an integrated transport residents advisory group to offer input on decisions related to transport and looking at how its tree planting and retention policy can be adhered to.