It was planned to have a busy day in Canberra. We divided into 3 teams and spread ourselves across the city visiting 12 schools followed by a visit to Government House to meet with the Governor-General of Australia, Ms. Quentin Bryce AC!

At Charnwood-Dunlop School.

St. John the Apostle Primary School.

St. Benedict's Primary School:

Evatt Primary School:

At St. Thomas the Apostle Primary School we met local politician Steve Dozspot MLA, who gave us his warm wishes for the Run. This was our first opportunity of the day to sing the World Harmony Run song, and you have to believe us, kids: we got better as the day wore on!

The next school we visited was The Lyons Early Childhood School. It was the first school we had been to where we met with very young children from 3 to 7 yearsold. The children were so enthusiastic especially when Urdacheta led the children on a virtual but energetic running journey around the world.

At Saints Peter and Paul Primary School we were showing the students a DVD of the Run, which was cut short when our Harmony Torch set off the smoke detector. We relocated to the playground or, to be accurate, evacuated. The teachers graciously allowed us to continue our presentation, followed by a lively run on the oval.

At Monash Primary School, we went on a breathless lap of the playing field – but as I held the torch, I noted that where I was heading didn't look much like a playing field. It was a bit too overgrown, and I couldn't see a clear circuit to follow. “Can we go all the way around, or do we have to turn around?” I asked the children. “This way!” they shouted. “This is our cross-country course!” Eventually we found our way back to the school buildings.

Many thanks to Tad Dufelmeier and staff at Monash Primary School for their enthusiastic participation in the World Harmony Run.

St. Francis of Assisi Primary School:

St. Jude's Primary School:

Waniassa Primary School:

On the way we met this nice lady, who was interested in the World Harmony Run.

Time to visit the Governor-General of Australia, Ms. Quentin Bryce AC.

As luck would have it a BBC camera crew was at the Governor-General's Residence filming a documentary, and at the Governor-General's request they filmed us running through the main gates and at our subsequent meeting.

Goernment House is situated on it own peninsula at Yarralumla on Lake Burley Griffin and abounds with beautifully manicured lawns and gardens.

The whole team introduced themselves and Becky Xerri from Wales delighted all with a few melodic words in her native language.

Ms. Quentin Bryce AC is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and the first woman to hold the position. She has been a strident advocate for women and rural Australians and has achieved many firsts for women in Australia. In 1968 she became the first woman to be a faculty member of a Law School, the first director of the Queensland Women's Information Service, and the Queensland director of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. She has also held the position of Principal and Chief Executive Officer of The Women's College within the University of Sydney, New South Wales, and is a member of the Australian Women's Cricket Board.

This is the first time an Australian Governor-General has met with the World Harmony Run and it is a memory that will stay with us all forever.

The Governor-General also graciously received the World Harmony Run Torch-Bearer Award for her work as a strident advocate for women and rural Australians, and her very own World Harmony Run Torch.

A final farewell to the Canberra City YHA who hosted the team for two nights.

– Veeraja

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Distance: 7 km

Team Members:
Prabuddha Nicol (Australia), Veeraja Uppal (Australia), Apaguha Vesely (Czech Republic), Kallola Brown (New Zealand), Uddyogini Hall (Australia), Varna Schultz (Germany), Urdhacheta Yap (Singapore), Hastakamala Diaz (Australia), Kieren Tobin (Australia), Chandrakanta Crull (USA), Anubha Baird (Australia)

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

Gallery: See more images!

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