In one of our busiest days of school ceremonies, the World Harmony Run started by visiting the beautiful, tree-lined suburb of Kalamunda. Elizabeth Taylor, the Shire President of Kalamunda, also came to talk to the students about the ideals of harmony.

A few of the students had prepared for the runners’ arrival by composing poems on the ideal of harmony. Some of our favourites are:

Harmony means peace, freedom and happiness,

Stopping poverty so there is no more sadness.

Harmony means always helping,

Getting along and being caring.

Harmony means no killing,

No litter and no logging.

Harmony means to have no wars,

And respecting all the laws.

Harmony means kindness no matter what,

Throughout all countries, the world, the lot.

(Anon, Year 7)

WHAT IS HARMONY?

Harmony looks as smooth as ice cream.

Harmony looks as peaceful as the calm ocean.

Harmony looks as nice as twinkling stars in the sky.

Harmony looks like the symmetry of a butterfly’s wings.

Harmony sounds like people agreeing with each other.

Harmony sounds as happy as a Mum playing with her children.

Harmony sounds as quiet as a yoga class.

Harmony sounds as cheerful as music.

Harmony feels like warm, white sand on the beach.

Harmony feels like holding hands.

Harmony feels as good as the wind in your face.

Harmony feels as a strong as the love your father has for you.

Harmony means sharing, caring and being fair.

(Year 2 students)

The runners then ran through the scenic Hills to Mundaring Primary School.

Cr. John Beaton, representing Mundaring Shire Council, gave a gracious talk about the link between music and harmony. Cr Beaton, a musician himself, compared world disharmony with discordance, and suggested that we can work like musicians playing together, bringing more harmony to the world.

Afterwards, the students participated in a 500m torch relay run around the school grounds. They were set out, just a few metres apart, lined up to hand the World Harmony Torch to each other. After handing the Torch to the next person, each excited student would continue running ahead of the Torch, high-fiving the next several people in the line. Teachers, unable to resist the fun, joined the line of relay runners.

Leaving behind the excited (if somewhat exhausted) students, we ran to the nearby Sacred Heart Primary School, where the students welcomed the runners with a spiritual song. The children of Sacred Heart see the spiritual aspects of world harmony, and they composed a set of beautiful prayers especially for the World Harmony Run. Part of the Year 6 prayer reads:

“Protect the runners while they’re on their journey, to tell the nations about peace and harmony.

“Make these runners safe and sound while they are running round and round.

”Protect them, Lord, on Harmony day, so that they can show us a better way.

“Please help warring countries to see what they are doing, now let them STOP and start rejoicing.”

Guildford Primary School, the next school we visited, was described by one of the team as the “most enthusiastic” school we have visited. Though it is a difficult call (there have been many candidates), it certainly was hard to beat for excited children - who nonetheless had several sharp and intelligent questions to ask. Mark, a World Harmony Runner visiting from Canberra, led them in singing the World Harmony Run theme song - and spontaneously suggested that they follow Prabuddha’s actions.

Prabuddha Nicol (the Director of World Harmony Run in WA) was happy to do this, except for one thing: he hadn’t devised any actions. As they sang, however, he improvised some actions for every line of the song, becoming more animated each time the song was sung.

After the children joined the runners for a run around the oval, one of the school captains thanked us for coming. “I’d just like to say,” she began, “that you guys are great singers!” As we left, the applause was loud and rapturous - again making themselves favourites for the “most enthusiastic” award.

The day finished at West Morley Primary School, where the (wonderfully multicultural) classes had made special masks. Each of these masks had two distinctly different sides, to show that no two people are the same - and that we should appreciate our differences, while working together in harmony. They joined us in singing the World Harmony Run song, following Prabuddha’s every action. By now, Prabuddha had devised an immaculate set of actions for each word, which will no doubt be learned by many kids who greet future World Harmony Runs.

After a run around the oval, the runners were asked to stay for an autograph session with one of the classes. While we are just normal people, amateur athletes, we are always happy to sign autographs for any children who are inspired by the World Harmony Run. These autograph-hunters, happily, were among the most polite, gracious fans we could ever hope to meet, patiently queuing for every signature without pushing or shoving, yet thanking us excitedly once the signatures had been written.

By the time the autographs were all signed, the school day was over - and so was another chapter for the World Harmony Run in Western Australia.

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