HUMAN rights advocate and lawyer Julian Burnside QC will be guest speaker at a Kingston For Human Rights event this month.
The high-profile and outspoken barrister, an advocate for refugees, will talk about “Celebrating Tolerance” – the theme of this year’s children’s poster art competition – at Parkdale’s Shirley Burke Theatre on Wednesday 22 November.
The poster art contest is a Kingston For Human Rights project aimed at raising awareness in the community about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights mandated by the United Nations in 1948 in the wake of World War II to set out fundamental human rights for all peoples and countries.
“To define tolerance can be almost as difficult as to actually be tolerant, but these young artists seem to realise that tolerance and peace go hand in hand,” Kingston For Human Rights committee member Philippa Rayment said.
Pupils from Clayton South Primary, Mentone Grammar Junior, Cheltenham Primary, St Joseph’s Primary, Mentone Girls Secondary, Cornish College, Westall Secondary and Haileybury College’s Keysborough campus have submitted artworks on display at the Shirley Burke Theatre until 24 November.
“Not everybody in the world gets to do meditating so it represents tolerance with peace signs,” Mentone Grammar pupil Alana said.
“We need peace in the world and to make the world a better place, so the hands I drew joined together holding a world with the peace sign inside it,” Cheltenham Primary School pupil Issie said.
- The Kingston For Human Rights Art Exhibition marking the 69th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be held at the Shirley Burke Theatre, 64 Parkers Rd, Parkdale on Wednesday 22 November, 7.30pm. See kfhr.com.au or call 9587 5959 for more details and free tickets.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 15 November 2017