Handspan soon to celebrate 20 years

Sue O'Leary and Eric Wong of Peace Through Unity, at the former home of Anthony and Gita Brooke. Photo / Paul Brooks

It was 20 years ago next month that the Governor-General of New Zealand, the Honourable Dame Silvia Cartwright, dedicated the Handspan sculpture in Queens Park, Whanganui to "a culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the world".
Peace Through Unity, an international NGO based in Whanganui, initiated and raised funds for the project. The sculpture was designed by the late Ross Mitchell-Anyon, but the work of building it was the contribution of many people.

More than 4000 clay casts of hands, mostly of people in the local community, as well as 50 glass hand casts made in glass, adorn the impressive structure. Ross had been creating clay casts of hands long before the Handspan was built.

To commemorate the double decade, Peace Through Unity is planning celebrations in Whanganui.
Peace Through Unity was co-founded in Sweden in 1975 by Anthony and Gita Brooke, who subsequently made their home in Whanganui and based the organisation here. They have since died, but their former home, an impressive villa on Durie Hill, overlooking the Whanganui River, remains the Peace Through Unity headquarters. It was left to the community by Anthony and Gita for purposes in keeping with the Peace Through Unity philosophy.

A small group of friends formed a trust to maintain the property and honour the memory of the couple.
"After Gita and Anthony passed away we felt it would be a shame to have their life's work evaporate," says Sue O'Leary.
Eric Wong from Auckland is the Trust manager. He was at Collegiate School from 1992 to 1995.
"That's how I got to know Gita, and from then on I was involved with Peace Through Unity. I got to know about their anti-whaling campaigns, their disarmament campaigns, Antarctica World Peace Park and then I also helped out with the Handspan project."

Two years before the project, Jamie and Sue O'Leary moved in to the house next door to Anthony and Gita and, as building contractors, found themselves an essential part of the work.
"Jamie actually built the Handspan, with the help of a lot of people and organisations in the community," says Sue. "Placemakers donated the bricks, Perth donated the concrete ..."

For the 20th anniversary of the sculpture there will be events at Queens Park and the Whanganui War Memorial Centre on Wednesday, September 21. That day is also the United Nations International Day of Peace.
Invited to the celebration is Thomas Nash, a councillor on the Greater Wellington Regional Council, says Eric.
"He is coming to talk at the luncheon and his topic is 'Sustainable Communities in Aotearoa', because of the work he was doing with nuclear disarmament."

Sue says there will be a public ceremony at the Handspan followed by a private function in the Pioneer Room at the War Memorial Centre. Along with Thomas Nash, invited guests will include Whanganui's mayor, Hamish McDouall, the Minister for Disarmament, Phil Twyford, as well as other dignitaries.
"Because it's 20 years we will rededicate the work with a minute's silence," she says.
"It's also a good occasion for people to think about the original idea of having the Handspan," says Eric. "We want to bring the community together."