Blue Mountains News

The event, at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba on Saturday 2 August, will address the ongoing threat of nuclear weapons after their first use in New Mexico, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It is held in collaboration with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) which is building a powerful global groundswell of public support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

An impressive array of speakers includes ICAN ambassador, author and humanitarian campaigner Robert Tickner; the Indonesian ambassador Dr Siswo Pramono; Dharug man Chris Tobin, journalist Harumi Hayakawa, Rotarian Jennifer Scott AM; Quaker Rosemary Morrow OAM; and Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill, who will introduce the event, said: “When Hiroshima and Nagasaki were reduced to rubble by two atomic bombs in 1945, more than 210,000 people died in horrific circumstances.

“In 1982, the mayors of those two cities launched Mayors for Peace, calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace. In 2022, I was deeply honoured to become a signatory to this inspired and important initiative on behalf of Council, and the people of the Blue Mountains.

“I am honoured to be involved again and speak as a Mayor for Peace on this issue – an issue I believe is as urgent as it has ever been.”

Robert Tickner, currently Chair of the Justice Reform Initiative, has a long history of working on issues related to social justice and conflict resolution. He was Australia’s longest serving Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs and led the Australian Red Cross for a decade as its CEO.

He will talk alongside the Indonesian Ambassador Dr Pramono to discuss the Indonesian government’s 2024 ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), a legally binding international agreement that prohibits nuclear weapons, with the goal of their total elimination.

The symposium will also comprise of community discussions led by young people, the Blue Mountains Peace Collective and the Planetary Health Initiative. There will be a community picnic featuring live music, stalls and the chance to make peace badges and origami cranes – a symbol of hope and healing in Japanese culture.

The Blue Mountains Peace Symposium, 10am-4pm Saturday 2 August, is at the Planetary Health Centre 33-39 Acacia Street, Katoomba. To see the full program and book tickets (required): here