VNCS

August 6th and 9th, 2020.

Hibakusha Remembrance Week — 75th anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Communities are invited to join in Bell ringing and “making a righteous noise” at the time of dropping of the bombs.

Individuals are invited to set a reminder and take a moment to reflect… “Set a chime for those times”

On Thursday, August 6 and Sunday, August 9 church bells, hand bells and other appropriate devices are to be rung across Vancouver Island at the time the bombs exploded: 8:15 AM on August 6 and 11:50 AM on August 9.

The Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society will ring the Morioka Friendship bell on David Foster Way.

Please join us. COVID-19 protocols for safety will be followed.

If you are planning on coming please email tsugkurushima@gmail.com.

All are invited to take part in the online educational event:

Thursday, August 6 at noon, a live Zoom presentation with a question and answer period on the current nuclear weapons threat, nuclear weapons and religious faith, and the public health and the environmental consequences of nuclear weapons. Register here to receive the Zoom Link.

The distinguished presenters for this event are two physicians and a brilliant young student activist.

Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford is past President of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War, winner of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. She has twice been awarded the Governor General of Canada Award and has participated in humanitarian missions to North Korea.

Magritte Gordaneer from Victoria is a student at McGill University. She founded McGill Students for Peace and Disarmament, the university’s only student peace group. Magritte travelled to Hiroshima to participate in the Academy on Nuclear Weapons and Global Security presented by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), winner of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Jonathan Down is President of Physicians for Global Survival. He is a pediatrician at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health in Victoria and an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria.

Moderator for the program is Bill Geimer, US army veteran and Professor of Law Emeritus, Washington and Lee University.

Send any questions to Bill Geimer at peacevetcanada@gmail.com

The week of 2-9 August, 2020 is to be designated as Hibakusha Remembrance Week honouring the survivors of the bombings.

Find out more about the VNCS.

We need your help to have the Township of Esquimalt build a multi-purpose building at Gorge Park that commemorates the Japanese history of that park!  Please complete this online survey  to vote for the multi-purpose building that incorporates Japanese design elements, Building 1.  Below is the architectural rendering of Building 1.  It incorporates modern Japanese architectural design elements.  There is a comparable building in the Japanese Gardens in Portland (see image at the end of this post).

When you complete the online survey you will have an opportunity to see more information about the buildings being proposed and you can even suggest other Japanese design elements that they should consider such as a Zen Garden, bamboo garden or sliding doors and screens.  You could even suggest a room to perform Japanese cultural demonstrations.  The Township of Esquimalt is also going to hold an Open House on September 19 at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre from 6 to 8 pm where you can speak to staff and the architects about the proposed building.  You might like to attend the Open House.  However the key action that needs to be taken is completing the survey by Sep 29.  The more support we show, the greater the probability of the of the Esquimalt council proceeding with the Japanese style building. 

We are very close to achieving our goal to have the Township of Esquimalt erect a multi-purpose building that commemorates the Japanese history of Esquimalt’s Gorge Park.  Let us not be complacent and let this once in a lifetime opportunity slip through our fingers.  Complete the survey and recruit others to do the same.  You can forward this infromation to others to vote for the Japanese style multi-purpose building.

Thank you
Tsugio Kurushima
President,
Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society