2013 Portraits of Peace

To celebrate the 2013 International Day of Peace a photographic exhibition, "Portraits of Peace" was displayed at St John's Cathedral Brisbane.

Women of Peace

I had the honour of receiving two awards for my entries to the competition 

My submissions to this exhibition captured the faces of women of peace in Brisbane who have inspired and encouraged my commitment o peacemaking.

The "Women of Peace" image was taken at the beginning of the Women's International Peace Walk as it left Jagera Hall in South Brisbane on 13 March 2010. Among the women who feature in this image are June Norman and Aunty Valda Coolwell.

A Candle For Peace

The second winning submission was an image I captured of Senator Claire Moore at the 2013 Hiroshima rally in King George Square.

My photography is more than a collection of images. It is my way of contributing to public awareness of the need for peace and justice in our community. The images of rallies and civil protest  reach an audience wider than those looking on from the streets we occupy for a brief moment. The images of festival gatherings of Indigenous and Refugee communities remind my viewers of the rich cultural diversity we receive and share. The eyes of the people who appear in my images invite us to new relationships that cross the divide of religion, race and  gender.

My albums on Facebook  are a rich testimony to the power of photography as social media that honours story and place. Years after an image has been posted it is tagged and a memory is cherished, a story is recalled and a moment of life is made sacred in its retelling. Over the years these and other albums continue to show the faces of some who have passed away, family members, friends and  keepers of the flame. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people are advised that they may find images of deceased persons in my collection. These images are kept to honour the sacred memory of those I have met and had the priviledge to photograph.

I am grateful to Believing Women for a Culture of Peace who sponsored this exhibition and competition. I also wish to acknowledge  Catholic Religious Australia Queensland who provided generously for the awards that were presented at St John's Cathedral on September 21, International Day of Peace.

Joint first prize: Women of Peace - Tony Robertson /  Peace Aamidst the Chaos - Nora Amath

Joint second prize:  Temple in the Afternoon, Evening Prayer - Carmel Khavari /  Loving & Co-existing Together - Nora Amath

Joint third prize:  Student Unity at Griffith - Sally Singh   / A Candle for Peace - Tony Robertson

You can visit the exhibition during October at The Multi Faith Centre, Griffith University