Oragami: Anne-Maree Rowley from GV Libraries holds (and wears) peace cranes.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Every year people from around the world send thousands of paper cranes to place in front of Hiroshima Peace Park’s Children’s Peace Monument in Japan.
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This is done to commemorate the International Day of Peace and commit to achieving peace above differences.
This year, Goulburn Valley Libraries will be contributing to this array of paper cranes, and is inviting the community to get involved.
GV Libraries program co-ordinator Bronwyn Cole said they were hoping to reach their goal of 1000 cranes.
“We would like to see as many paper cranes as possible made and on display by the 21st of September, the International Day of Peace,” she said.
“We want people from all our communities to contribute and then come in to see the display of what we hope will be thousands of paper cranes, and community members can make one paper crane or hundreds.”
The paper cranes are known as a symbol of peace in Japan.
This connection and tradition have been traced back to a young girl, Sadako Sasaki, who died from leukaemia 10 years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 due to radiation exposure.
Leading up to her death, she folded over 1000 cranes because it was thought that anyone who did this could have their wish granted.
Colour and cranes: Anne-Maree Rowley from GV Libraries surrounded by peace cranes.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Her story is best known through the book Sadako and the thousand paper cranes, by Eleanor Coerr.
Her death triggered a campaign to build a monument in memory of the children that died of the bombing and to encourage world peace.
Every year these cranes are placed in front of the memorial.
The cranes will be on display at GV Libraries until Thursday, September 29 before being sent to Japan to be placed in front of the Children’s Peace Monument.
Paper cranes can be dropped off at any GV Libraries branch or to the Mobile Library from Tuesday, August 1 to Thursday, September 21. They can be made out of any paper but must be no bigger than 15cm by 15cm.
To attend an origami paper crane-making session, contact GV Libraries on 1300 374 765 or drop into your local branch.
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