The Rotary Club of Camberwell was selected by the RSL ANZAC Awards Committee for the award of the ANZAC Peace Prize in recognition of their inspirational secondary schools project the “Seeds of Peace” Program. The Program, together with the Seeds of Peace Book, is a motivational initiative designed to promote peace, engagement and awareness of the Centenary of ANZAC while it educates young Australians to become influential advocates for peace in their peer group and beyond.
The ANZAC Peace Prize is awarded by the RSL to recognise any outstanding effort by an Australian citizen or group, who has promoted the concept of international understanding and who, in so doing, has made a contribution to world peace.
Seven students from local Boroondara secondary schools were selected from their peace essay submissions, to travel to Gallipoli for the Anzac Centenary in April 2015. They attended an international peace conference in Istanbul during the trip, and became young peace ambassadors in their schools.
Local whole of school commemorations tool place on Anzac Day 2015, with the planting of Lone Pine trees & stone plaques.
Camberwell Rotary received this distinguished national award & medal for promoting peace in the Australia community - the only Rotary Club to ever achieve this award in over forty years. Mr Nick Pane, the then President of the Rotary Club of Camberwell responded: "This is a wonderful honour and recognition for our Club, and the first time that any community Rotary Club has ever won this prestigious award in almost 40 years since its inception."
Seeds of Peace Project Leader Adrian Campbell said "It’s a humbling experience to receive this national peace recognition – what started as a simple idea to promote peace in our local secondary schools at the time of the Anzac Centenary, blossomed into a multi-faceted peace program that engaged many local students and schools, and reached all the way from Camberwell to Gallipoli and back to Canberra. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this project success – particularly the Camberwell and Boroondara Rotarians, PDG Dr Murray Verso, the Australian Government Anzac Centenary Grant through our local MHR, Josh Frydenberg, the Turkish Consulate in Melbourne, the participating schools in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and importantly the magnificent 7 Seeds of Peace student ambassadors and their leaders – they are the voice of peace in their generation."
Lest we forget – peace at home, and peace in our world.
Copies of the Seeds of Peace book are in the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, the National War Memorial in Canberra and the United Nations in New York.
RSL Australia has awarded The Rotary Club of Camberwell the ANZAC Peace Prize for its inspirational secondary schools “Seeds of Peace” Program.
