What a fulfilling day beckons for our Peace Run team! It starts with a gorgeous sunrise viewed from Mount Wellington, overlooking Hobart, which helps the runners find an expansion of peace in their hearts – to be shared in the day ahead...
Two of our team leaders, Stacey Marsh and Uddyogini Hall are invited to speak on ABC Radio in Hobart to share their experiences about this wonderful journey ...
... with Leon Compton of the ABC Breakfast show, Hobart.
In the meantime, Anastasia Tabachnikova and Roxana Magdici visit this special monument near the University Rose Garden.
"Every day we have to go
To our heart-garden
To see a beautiful inspiration-rose
— Not yesterday’s rose
But today’s rose."
– Sri Chinmoy
Rupasi Young meets Kalen from the Pigeon Hole Café and, hearing about the Peace Run, he offers her a mocha!
The men's team sets off on a 7km run from Hobart city centre to Bellerive Primary School, crossing the impressive Tasman Bridge over the Derwent River.
Along the way they stop at the beautiful Japanese Garden on the right bank of the river.
Since there is time before the school ceremony, the men's team refresh themselves at the nearby Bellerive Beach. Brrrr... quite cold!
We're now ready for our first school visit: Bellerive Primary School.
The children welcome us with a big applause. They guess the countries of the runners on the first try!
As a prize they get to sing with the runners the World Harmony Run song with actions. The children love to be challenged to sing it faster and faster!
The children get to hold the Peace Torch and make a heartfelt wish for Peace.
Joy is contagious when actually the children get to do a real Peace Run relay!
Thank you Bellerive Primary School children for having us! It's been delightful to get to know you and inspiring to see how nicely you all behaved and caringly passed the Peace Torch to each other while running.
We have the quickest lunch on the beach: improvised sandwiches with delicious and healthy ingredients. We are fuelled to head towards Mount Stuart Primary School.
The children are awaiting the runners with beautiful peace drawings and heart melting smiles and cheers.
They too are very good at geography and quickly find out where we are from.
The children happily give us their artwork to be displayed at the Colosseum in Rome on the International Day for Peace, the 21st of September.
And finally the teachers get to run with the peace torch. The children really love it.
Roxana enjoys some heart to heart chatting with these two lovely 5 year old brothers who have got as Peace Run cards Romania and Iceland, two countries which she loves.
We feel so fortunate to be able to meet on our way such incredible children and teachers.
As the runners were departing, one year 5 student came running up to two of the Peace Runners full of enthusiasm, saying "The Peace Run is the best!".
No higher compliment!
While drinking the tea we are kindly offered in the staff room, we meet this nice teacher who has put on a special T-shirt for the occasion: it reads Stop Wars, instead of Star Wars.
The team stops briefly for a nice snack thanks to Eden from Timan Café, who offered us free brownies and delicious bread filled with sugar and cheese.
Our whole team then drove back to Launceston for the night.
Much much gratitude to Matt from Centennial Inn on Bathurst who kindly hosted the women’s team for the night in this heritage building.
The men's team also got treated with accommodation at the ArtHouse Hostel, where Pete was their kind host.
