The delegation of the Mayors for Peace West Australia, led by the City of Fremantle, a Mayors for Peace Lead City, visited Nagasaki from April 16th to 20th to present Australia’s first sculpture gift to Nagasaki Peace Park.
The sculpture titled “The Tree of Life: Gift of Peace” originates from Yalata (remote South Australia), a community affected by British-led atomic testing in Australia, and is a peace gift to the people of Nagasaki from one atomic survivor community to another. The official gifting ceremony was held on April 18th with official guests in attendance including Mayor Taue (Nagasaki City), Deputy Mayor Josh Wilson (City of Fremantle), Mr. Jeremy LeBois (Maralinga Tjarutja Council), Russell Bryant (Yalata Community Inc.), and Nagasaki City and Australian Embassy officials.
The delegation also visited Hiroshima from April 20 to 22, touring the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and listening to an A-bomb survivor’s testimony.
>Photos and Deputy Mayor Wilson’s speech (Mayor of Fremantle Brad Pettitt’s blog)
>More photos of the ceremony (Facebook “Nagasaki City – Peace & Atomic Bomb”, in Japanese)
>Information about the sculpture-making (the “Nuclear Futures” program website)