May Peace Prevail on Earth – Margaret River’s Peace Pole

Margaret River Uniting Church are bringing a message of peace to their local community this Christmas, centering on the unveiling of a Peace Pole in the grounds of the church on Sunday 14 December 2025.

The project has been planned with the Margaret River congregation in collaboration with Transition Margaret River, Tig-Le House and Rotary Margaret River.

Peace Poles are recognised as a prominent international symbol and monument to peace. They remind us to think, speak and act in the spirit of peace and harmony. Each pole bears the message ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’ in different languages on each of its sides.

The Peace Pole Project was started in Japan by Masahisa Goi (1916-1980), who dedicated his life to spreading the message, ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’. He was greatly affected by the destruction caused by World War II and the atomic bombs which fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Peace Poles foster learning, discussion and reflection, promoting harmony in these difficult times.

The story of how this project in Margaret River came about speaks to the beautiful potential for collaborative cooperation among the local community for the promotion of peace. Rev Craig Bosman described how the project unfolded:

“Karen Majer and Rashmi Patel from Transition Margaret River approached Margaret River Uniting Church asking us if we’d be interested in being involved in planting one of three Peace Poles in Margaret River as a community building project. We were very honoured to be asked and grateful for their inclusion.”

Lama Sonam (Ian Hackett) from Tig-Le House was asked if they would also be keen to participate in the project. Sonam was quick to get on board and along with Rev Craig Bosman from the Uniting Church, will be jointly unveiling the Peace Pole and cutting the ribbon at the ceremony on 14 December.
Members of Rotary Margaret River soon heard about the project and offered to sponsor the purchase and planting of the Peace Pole, which is something Rotary supports all over Australia and the world.

Leaders of other community groups have been invited to attend the ceremony including the Bahai, Muslim, Taoist/Daoist and the Japanese community including Yuko Tonai-Moore from Bridgetown Uniting Church. Other community groups are encouraged to take part in the ceremony and hold hands for peace.

Mary Elton from the Uniting Church has worked closely with Peace Poles Oceania to design a pole with ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’ written on each side in Nyungar, Auslan, Japanese and English, as well as ordering a plaque with the same message written in Braille to be installed on a wall nearby.

Sue Brown from the congregation ensured the pole was expertly and firmly installed in the ground at the front of the Church earlier in December. Nari Jones, a local artist and Occupational Therapist will be setting up a Labyrinth for people to ‘walk as One’ at the conclusion of the ceremony. Everyone is invited to bring a plate of food to share after the ceremony so that they can have a chat and encourage one another in their peace efforts.

During the ceremony there will be a moment when people are invited to give a brief message for peace, with the proviso that the ceremony is 100% non-partisan and therefore open to all people from all faiths and all traditions with one agenda – to promote peace and harmony for the whole of humankind.

It is hoped the planting of this Peace Pole will lead to future peace-themed workshops and events for the church and community.

While this peace pole will be of the standard design, the congregation hope in time to add other creative peace poles and items around it in the garden that will draw attention to and promote peace in their community. The Margaret River Uniting Church attracts a great deal of foot traffic due to the adjacent park and their beautiful rose garden so they know that the Peace Pole will speak to many community members passing by.

May Peace Prevail on Earth.

The Margaret River Uniting Church Christmas theme this year will revolve around the message of Peace. Find out more about the Peace Pole Ceremony here – https://unitingchurchwa.org.au/event/peace-pole-ceremony/

Photos thanks to Craig Bosman

Article by Rev Craig Bosman and Wendy Hendry