Attendance at the rally was small, which was a pity not only because for once the weather was perfect but also because the speakers were exceptional: MC was Jacob Grech (http://www.ozpeace.net/)
introducing Felicity Hill of WILPF (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - http://www.wilpf.org.au/), Dave Sweeney (Australian Conservation Foundation - http://www.acfonline.org.au/default.asp), and visiting US scientist Steven Starr (http://www.nucleardarkness.org/ - see also Physicians for Social Responsibility - http://www.psr.org/) who described the catastrophic global climatic implications of a nuclear war, even on a relatively "small" scale as for example between India and Pakistan. Japanese for Peace were represented at the rally and also organised the concert which followed - http://www.jfp.org.au/index_eng.html.
After the speeches there was a short march, down to the Bourke Street Mall, where a large red cross was placed across the tram tracks to mark a symbolic target, and there was a silence to remember the victims.
Last Thursday, the 6th of August, there was a candlelight vigil on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral to mark the actual anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Peter Garrett, Federal Environment Minister, recently announced a new uranium mine in South Australia to be operated by Heathgate Resources, a subsidiary of General Atomics, a major US arms company ...
And throughout the rally the logo of the world's biggest mining company, BHP, loomed in the sky in the background.
More links:
http://www.mapw.org.au/
www.icanw.org/
www.foe.org.au/anti-nuclear
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=88015054842
Some photos from the rally and march, pretty much self-explanatory:
