Sri Chinmoy peace run visits Murray Bridge
A North School student has been given a prestigious award, and messages of peace and love have been shared, on the arrival of an international torch relay.
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A running team has been given a rock star welcome, and a primary school student has been honoured, during a visit to Murray Bridge by an international torch relay.
Participants in the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run jogged into town last Wednesday afternoon, having covered the 77 kilometres from Meningie by 3pm.
Their destination: Murray Bridge North School, where hundreds of students screamed and cheered as they ran into the gym.
One of those students was singled out for a special honour: the peace run’s torch-bearer award, in recognition of her efforts to make the world a better place.
As well as achieving fame after winning a Christmas drawing competition by federal MP Tony Pasin last year, Scarlett Gilgen raised $2350 for her school’s last colour run and even donated one of her prizes to a local cricket club so they could raffle it off for a greater benefit.
She joins a pantheon of past torchbearer award recipients including marathon runner Robert de Castella, musician Archie Roach, sprinter Carl Lewis and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, among many others.
“This award has been presented to heads of state, presidents, elite athletes, artists, people who are exceptional in their fields; but more importantly, to people who are working tirelessly, giving their hearts and minds and souls to humanity in very special ways,” peace runner Rupasi Young said.
Students were asked to guess which country each of the runners was from, by their accents and the clues they gave.
Every continent was represented on the 12-strong team.
Its members shared songs with the young crowd, and urged everyone to search for the peace inside their own hearts.
“If ever you feel upset, you can go into your heart and find peace and love and friendship,” one of the runners said.
“That’s how we start our day.”
The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace run, held every second year, has covered more than 600,000 kilometres since its establishment in 1987.
This year’s edition will circle Australia, having started in Canberra on April 26.
Participants carry on the work of founder Sri Chinmoy, a Bengali-American spiritual leader, athlete and peacemaker.
His goal, according to the run’s organisers, was to promote peace and harmony among all the world’s people.
The runners took with them some pieces of art by North School students on the theme of peace, to be displayed at an exhibition in Rome in September.
- More information: Visit www.peacerun.org/au, or follow the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run on Facebook or Instagram.
Disclosure: The author’s kids are North School students, and he is on the governing council.
