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As part of a Global Candlelight Vigil for Peace: Sunday, March 16 -- 7:00 PM, a vigil was organised on short notice (7 hours) at the Free Speech Memorial outside the Mechanics Institute on Sydney Road Brunswick. Another vigil also occurred in Brunswick at Gilpin Park. See above for a photo of the picket setting up at 7.00pm
Although there was never more than 35 people at one time at the vigil, at least 20 others came for shorter periods of time and held candles.
The Free Speech memorial was built to commemorate the free speech fights by workers and the unemployed in the area in the 1930's and particularly a young artist, Noel Counihan, who defied the police by speaking from a locked cage on a cart chained to a balustrade. Noel would have approved of our public witness for peace at the memorial built in his honour.
At one stage at least 8 toddlers and their mothers or fathers were present. Several teenagers attended and occasionally burst into song: "All we are saying....is give peace a chance." In fact the vigil had a broad range from the elderly to toddlers in attendence.
People mainly sat down chatting with each other and waving to motorists and their passengers when they tooted their horns.
A number of placards were made on the spot and decorated the intersection of Glenlyon and Sydney Roads, a busy spot in Brunswick. A large number of cars honked their horns in support. This vindicated setting up a vigil in this spot in which a large number of motorists and tram passengers could identify with our vigil for peace.
At 9.30pm, just after this photo was taken, the vigil was packed up. Traffic on Sydney road had lessened substantially and we felt we had achieved our witness for peace, and communicated that directly to many fellow residents of Brunswick and Melbourne.
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