One Team – One Dream

Fifty kilometres. As the morning begins, that is all that remains of the initial 15,000 km journey around Australia. Fifty kilometres, along the back roads from Caboolture to Brisbane.

Much of the team is there, but they are joined by others who have laboured behind the scenes to ensure the success of the event.

Alf Zollo – who has held the thankless yet much-appreciated job of Treasurer for the Run – volunteers to run first.

Christopher Willis – whose mammoth task it was to find accommodation for over 100 days, phoning thousands of people in his search for generous souls to provide us shelter – has not been able to join the Run for long, due to injury. Fortunately, time heals. Today he runs 28 kilometres.

It’s a perfect day, not unlike Day 1 – the day of the Opening Ceremony – with the Brisbane sun shining down upon us at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. This morning at 11:30 am, the running team now comes full circle (in every sense), entering the Gardens, the point from which it all began three and a half months ago.

From here, they run to the main rotunda to revisit the spot where 15 years earlier a plaque was affixed for the Closing Ceremony of the 1993 Peace Run, dedicating the Gardens as a Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossom, in honour of the Run's founder.

After one and a half decades, the plaque is still there, slightly scratched, but clear and unfaded.

Veeraja Uppal – who bravely volunteered for every job from equipment manager to media liaison – announces the runners as they enter triumphantly.

He introduces Michael Choi, Parliamentary Secretary of Multicultural Affairs in the Queensland Parliament, who gives a rousing and happy welcome to the team. Mr Choi also sends the apologies of Premier Anna Bligh, our Queensland Patron, who had personally been hoping to attend.

Prachar Stegemann then addresses the audience, bringing into perspective the achievement of the runners who, working together in harmony as a team, were able to encircle the entire massive continent of Australia.

Those nine runners who have been with the Run for the whole journey, from the Opening Ceremony to that final run from Caboolture, are all here for the completion of the journey.

How many sights and experiences, inner and outer, have they had over the past 111 days? The beaches of northern New South Wales, the snow-covered roads of Victoria, the long quietude of the Nullarbor, the desolate north-west coast, the national forests of the Top End, the friendly towns and cities of Queensland… As the runners assimilate this busy and eventful journey over the coming weeks, their experiences will become even more profound.

There are many aspects of the World Harmony Run to be celebrated here today. For the runners, there is a flood of memories – meetings with thousands of school children; civic receptions; and the company of a single flickering flame carried along desert highways, through isolated country towns and crowded city streets. For the organisers, it is the culmination of months of hard work – preparing, scheduling, communicating and directing. Some of the organisers also joined the team as runners for days, weeks or months at different stages of the trek. Co-ordinators of five states and two territories are here today. 

After this brief but powerful ceremony, the team runs back to the Riverstage, on the other side of the Gardens, where the journey began. Now it is complete.

– Noivedya Juddery (Australia)

But not really. The true journey continues forever…

From the entire Australian World Harmony Run Team we would like to say how overwhelmed we all are at the profound beauty and vastness of this country and wish to offer a deep, deep ocean of gratitude to the countless people we met along the way and will carry with us together with the happiest memories of Australia. Thank you Australia!

– Prabhakar Street (Canada)

Runner Profile: Prabhakar Street (Canada)

"Australia, Australia,
Your heart for God, your life for man.
Heaven and earth
Your dream-eyes span."
– Sri Chinmoy

Prabhakar has been the heart and soul of the Australian World Harmony Run team.

It is through Prabhakar's eyes that the world has witnessed, and will remember this journey around the Sri Chinmoy Peace Continent. His phenomenal dedication to compiling the daily reports 'Live From The Road' has been an epic labour of love, working into the small hours every single night of the Run, through freezing cold and sweltering heat – usually in a tent or cramped in one of the vans and after a long day's running, while the rest of the team slept to their hearts' content.

Prabhakar's poetic photography deserves its own treatise. His identification with the beauty, majesty, mystery, intimacy, intricacy, glory and sheer magic inherent in all things, radiates through his art. He holds eternity in his moments. He feels ecstasy in a flittering blade of grass, unfolding it for all to wonder at. His sympathetic oneness with all hearts draws him especially to the children, through whom we share the ever-new pure thrill of communion with the World Harmony Torch and its flame of potent promise.

Prabhakar is a strong, purposeful, focused runner. Every step counts. With so many responsibilities in the team, his time on the road is a precious opportunity to connect within – each step entering into the release of a familiar, calm depth. His favourite – running in the rain. All around him the force of inner silence. Some team members end their runs practically exploding with exuberant chatter. Except through the occasional poem, Prabhakar does not share lightly the confidences of the road, only reluctantly re-emerging from these sojourns in nourishing peace.

Prabhakar is a heart of love: love of people, of Nature, beauty, peace, perfection, truth – love of service, love of a challenge, love of the journey. He does not know the meaning of 'half-hearted', giving his all to everyone and everything. His hallmarks – clarity, consistency, poise and easy humility.

The model team player, eager to bring forward others' good qualities and capacities, Prabhakar is always looking – subtly or openly – to enhance good feelings within and among all. Concern and sensitivity to others' needs govern his thoughts and actions. His presence and quiet encouragement have been a constant soothing and harmonising influence, an inner and outer rock of this team's oneness in vision, purpose and action.

Prabhakar, to you the World Harmony Run Australia 2008 is all gratitude. You have not taken our heart, for you have become our heart. You are now forever Australian.

 

Closing Ceremony – the Dream Continues...

It was not ‘goodbye' but rather ‘good luck!’ this evening as our runners formally concluded their 111 day run and passed the Torch on to our New Zealand counterparts. 111 days is how long it took the Torch, and the heroic team that bore it, to run the circumference of Australia and wind right back to where the journey started from: Brisbane.

Our closing ceremony took place at The Design Centre in Milton; a trendy art gallery with an open-air courtyard venue, the rustic charm of which conjured images of Tuscany.

Our evening commenced inside Luba’s Art Gallery, where MC Peter Buckley introduced Councillor and Chair of Families and Community Services, Geraldine Knapp, to officially open an exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s Jharna-Kala artwork.

Guests were invited to view the exhibition, the artwork of which depicts themes of love, peace and harmony. The whole of Luba’s art gallery was also opened for our viewing pleasure, and was very warmly reviewed by all and sundry.

Then, upon hearing the dulcet strains of Timbah, the five-piece music ensemble for the evening, the crowd started to move downstairs to the open courtyard where we commenced the official closing ceremony of The Australian World Harmony Run.

As friends, family, supporters and the team gathered in the crisp Brisbane twilight, there was a scent of jasmine in the air, and the strings of shiny fairy lights adorning the long timber deck seemed to hint that magic was in the ether this evening. And indeed there was. Not only was it magical that our team achieved what they set out to, but real magic was to be found in the hearts of the many friends and supporters who were there with us, who are the real heart and soul of the Run.

Councillor Knapp opened the ceremony and spoke beautifully about the Run and our team. We are particularly grateful for her support.

Next, Peter Buckley introduced Prachar Stegemann, National Co-ordinator of the Run, to say a few words and introduce a slide show on The World Harmony Run founder, Sri Chinmoy.

Guests were then introduced to our international team. It was wonderful to listen to some of their experiences. We were also fortunate to view a spectacular slideshow created by our team’s official photographer, Prabhakar Street, whose lens can effortlessly turn the ordinary into the breathtaking.

We also felt very honoured to have as our special guest Karen Cordwell, who hosted our team while they were in Tasmania and who travelled all the way to Brisbane particularly for this closing ceremony. She voiced the enthusiasm and excitement felt by herself and her colleagues as they anticipated welcoming the team at Tahune Forest AirWalk back in May.

We would like to thank members of the Brisbane Russian community who contributed so generously to the organisation of the opening and closing ceremonies. From the Russian children’s charming dancing duo to the procurement of the actual venue itself, we are indebted to them for their continued support. A brief DVD screening of iconic Russian folk singer Purushottama Boris Grebenshikov singing a song dedicated to the World Harmony Run was but a small token of our appreciation to them.

The official closing ceremony concluded with a short performance by the Australia-New Zealand music group,

 

and the symbolic handing-over of the Torch from Kapila Moses, Queensland Co-ordinator, to New Zealand representative.

Guests were then invited to light a candle from the Torch and float it in a pond before leaving.

The towering grey trees that lined the courtyard, disrobed for winter, looked down upon the scene as though understanding what was happening. Like one season melds into another, this is not the end.

This is a continuation of something lasting, a mere changing of garments, and then business as usual. If there is one thing we have learnt, it is that the Run does not end with the completion of a mileage quota. It lives in our hearts, and is alive in each person who believes in it. So it isn’t ‘goodbye’, but rather ‘good luck!’ to our New Zealand brothers and sisters "across the ditch" as Peter Buckley said, as they continue the Torch’s journey.

– Julie Anderson (Australia)

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Team Members:
Aaron Carey (New Zealand), Amalendu Edelsten (Australia), Alf Zollo (Australia), Anastasija Aleksejeva (Latvia), Nigel Webber (Australia), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Prabhakar Street (Canada), Christopher Willis (Australia), Edi Serban (Romania), Veeraja Uppal (Australia), Kapila Moses (Australia), Atul Arora (India), Dima Lehonkov (Ukraine), Prachar Stegemann (Australia), Nick File (New Zealand), Noivedya Juddery (Australia), Standa Zubaty (Czech Republic), Runar Gigja (Iceland), Elke Lindner (Germany), Sandro Zincarini (Italy), Angela Muhs (Germany), Sushmitam Rouse (Australia), Kylie Williams (Australia), Misha Kulagin (Russia)

Harmonemail:
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Gallery: See more images!

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