AIDS memorial

AIDS memorial

SYDNEY — The third Sydney HIV/AIDS tree planting day was held in St Peters Sydney Park on June 25. Kendall Lovett, one of the organisers, reports that around 70 people planted 300 young trees in memory of a lover, friend or relative.

Sisters of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence blessed the trees in a special "green" ceremony. Pictured is Sister Mary Goround.

The planting coincided with two important anniversaries; the 26th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969 and the 17th anniversary of the first Sydney gay mardi gras in 1978, at which police attacked and arrested gay and lesbian activists.

The South Sydney City Council, which supported the establishment of the memorial grove and the plantings, has set tentative dates for two more plantings in September and November. To contact the Memorial Project organisers for more information, write to PO Box 380, Broadway NSW 2007.

From GLW issue 195