IN a moving ceremony at Nara Peace Park this morning, members of the ANU New Zealand Club tolled the Rotary Peace Bell 51 times to represent the 51 lives were lost in the Christchurch attack on March 15, 2019.
Downscaled on advice from the ACT government and the NZ High Commission because of fears concerning the coronavirus, the Memorial for Christchurch was hosted by the ACT commissioner for international engagement, Brendan Smyth, who said: “We want to express our deep sympathy and our sorrow to the families, the Muslim community and the people of Christchurch as we remember.”
Canberra M?ori community leaders Isaac and Trish Cotter led attendees in singing the hymn “Whakaaria Mai” (How Great thou art) and the prayer, “Karakia,” and presented the Muslim community with a bi-national bouquet of flowers which mixed traditional M?ori weaving with gum leaves.
On hand for the occasion was ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs Chris Steel, who spoke of how silent prayer and reflection had been shattered last year and regretting the circumstances that had prevented Canberrans from attending in the huge numbers seen last year.
“They will be reflecting quietly at home,” he said.
Joining him was NZ high commissioner Dame Annette King, who thanked police, emergency services workers and all the individuals, many of them Australians, who had rallied to the support of victims at the Masjid Al Noor mosque last year, saying she believed the events of last year had strengthen the bond between Australians and New Zealanders.
Imam Ahmed Nadeem recited the first verse of the Koran in Arabic, with an explanation in English, afterwards stressing that all places of worship, whether church, mosque, synagogue or temple, should be seen as symbols of peace and that as humans, “we are their protectors”.
After a minute’s silence, the memorial concluded with a communal recitation of “The Christchurch Response“: “We stand together in kindness and compassion”— before the Cotters farewelled those present in the song “Waiata”.
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