The Hiroshima remembrance ceremonies on August 6th this year remind us of the events that ushered in a new age in human history, the Nuclear Age. Anniversaries are for remembering and reflecting. Memories pour into my mind and, in reflecting, it comes to me that a whole new generation does not share these memories and that it’s up to us “oldsters” to do the teaching job all over again.

I was 14 years old when these bombs were dropped and I remember the large black headlines in the paper proclaiming the atom bomb and the surrender of our Japanese enemy nine days later. Two emotions stood out in my mind – joy and relief that the war was over, and a profound disquiet as I listened to the adults discussing “the bomb” and the horror in their voices at the realization of the destruction it had caused and the thousands of innocent civilian lives destroyed. The bomb seemed to have made the idea of future wars unthinkable.

In 1945, I remember the excitement of our grade-eight class as we followed the founding of the United Nations and its promise to build a mechanism to stop future wars. We were full of optimism.

Then came the breakdown of the post war accord between East and West, and the beginning of the Cold War. During those years, the late 50s and early 60s we began to hear more and more of nuclear bomb tests as the US and the USSR strove to compete with each other in building their nuclear arsenals. The cold war and the atmosphere of fear escalated with the Berlin blockade. Some people built backyard bomb shelters. Schools held evacuation drills.

A new, more immediate fear emerged – nuclear fallout from atmospheric tests. Radioactivity was discovered in food crops, cows’ milk and even human breast milk all over the world, and mothers were cautioned not to let their children eat snow as it might be contaminated with radioactive material.

As the mother of four small children, that got my attention. I heard of an organization called Voice of Women, whose members had started a petition against nuclear testing. I joined, discovered a group of knowledgeable and dedicated women, and for the first time “went public”, going from door to door with my children in tow, begging my neighbours to sign.

Something I think is really important – I have never felt impotent against “the system.” I believe our government will listen to its people. The more people who speak out the better, of course, and the more ways of communicating the message the better. Our little group was part of a worldwide groundswell, and the testing of above-ground nuclear

weapons did stop with the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, signed by the US, the USSR and the UK, which ended atmospheric, underwater and outer space testing. This treaty has never been broken and is a success we should all remember.

In 1968 the international community banded together to sign the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty and committed to abolish nuclear weapons. This treaty has not been as successful, as both the US and Russia retain their stockpiles and plan to upgrade them. In addition, three more countries have built atomic bombs and others have the capability to do so.

In the early 70s, with growing understanding of the reality of the nuclear threat, i.e. that the bomb might be deployed by either side, either by design or by accident, the anti-nuclear movement began to build, worldwide.

Physicians, realizing the futility of any attempts to provide medical assistance in the face of the enormous destruction that would result from a nuclear explosion, were among the first to state publicly that the only possible strategy would be to work for prevention.

At an international medical conference in 1981, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) was founded, and co-presidents from the US and the USSR were elected. Edmonton physicians formed their own chapter, a small but active and influential group.

In 1985, the IPPNW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Many other professional groups stood up to be counted: Nurses for Nuclear Disarmament, Educators for Peace, Psychologists for Peace, Lawyers for Social Responsibility, Arts for Peace, the inter-faculty University Disarmament Organization, (UNDO), to name a few.

These groups were important as members were already respected as part of their own professions and had the potential to influence their own colleagues, as well as the publics they served.

Many churches formed groups within their congregations. Project Ploughshares had its beginning under the auspices of the interdenominational World Council of Churches. Veterans of past wars came together as Veterans Against Nuclear War, a very powerful group. Edmontonians for a Non-Nuclear future attracted many members. Countless people acted independently.

What, exactly, did these various peace groups do? In essence, at the individual and group level, they became informed. They read widely about the issues, they listened to informed speakers. They talked to their friends, work colleagues, and acquaintances about the nuclear threat. They worked within professional and other organizations, they held forums with films and speakers, they wrote letters to their MPs, the Prime Minister, other politicians, and the media. They attended inter-provincial and international meetings, and passed resolutions to forward to governments. They helped plan and joined in rallies, marches, and demonstrations.

I can’t forget a particular tiny teenager as she marched, ignoring her chronic illness, with a large group from Cold Lake to Edmonton to protest the Cruise Missile.

The highest profile event to be held in Edmonton was, undoubtedly, the True North Strong and Free conference in November of 1986. Sponsored by the Edmonton Branch of Physicians for the prevention of Nuclear War, and supported by the whole peace community of Edmonton and various federal government agencies, this inspiring conference drew an audience of some 5000 to the U. of A. Butterdome. A second True North conference addressing the Arctic was held in March 1989.

Rhyl Stollery and I were invited to go with a group of Canadian women to an International Women’s Peace conference in Moscow in 1987 and were very inspired by the proceedings, bringing back the hopeful message that the women of the world were anxious to work for peace.

Partial success for all these efforts, here and around the world, was finally achieved when the Cold War came to an end in 1989. The introduction of glasnost and perestroika by Mr. Gorbachev and the fall of the Berlin Wall were certainly instrumental as well in cooling down the dangerous East-West confrontation, and a period of relative lessening of fear and anxiety ensued.

Now, in the 21st century, terrorism and suicide bombers have claimed the world’s attention. But, the nuclear threat is far from disappearing. The US Nuclear Posture Review of 2002 calls for the upgrade of nuclear systems arsenals. The seventh review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in New York in May of 2005 was an abject failure.

One of the biggest illusions of our time is that nuclear weapons can enhance security. Whether in the hands of a democratic state, sovereign dictatorship, or rogue entity, they are the opposite – a threat to security – and serve no useful purpose.

Members of peace groups that are still active know this. Whether our concern is the nuclear reality or the terrorist threat, our primary objective is human attitude change.

Recognizing this, the very effective California-based Beyond War Foundation changed its name to the Foundation for Global Community. Similarly, closer to home, in 1988, the Alberta Nurses for Nuclear Disarmament group changed its name to Alberta Nurses for Global Health through Peace and wrote the following new objectives.