On March 13, five women, the oldest aged 69, began walking 1400km from Brisbane to Canberra to take a message to the prime minister that we should take steps towards a nuclear-free future.
The women will arrive at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra on May 24. They proudly carry a message stick presented to them by elders of the Turrabul and Yuggera people of Brisbane, which conveys a story of sustainability and will be presented to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on May 25.
Walk participant Cassie McMahon said: “Caring for our country is important to all of us, particularly as new uranium mines and a global nuclear waste dump are being proposed.”
The walk is connecting with communities along the route, listening to stories and taking written messages to give to Rudd. The aim is to communicate how the whole nuclear cycle is unsafe and will leave a toxic legacy for over 200,000 years.
The women point out that with 40% of the world's uranium deposits, Australia is where the nuclear cycle begins, giving Australians a moral obligation to promote a nuclear-free future. They also oppose the proposed global nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory.
Footprints for Peace is an international organisation and four walks in the US are converging in New York for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review meetings. These journeys can be viewed on Footprints for Peace.