Nagasaki Archives - Aberdeen Voice

Nagasaki Schoolchildren Enjoy N.E. Cultural Visit

Aug 302019

With thanks to Charlie Abel.

Aberdonians have an unfair reputation for being cold and tight-fisted.
Those of us who live here know that is a false stereotype. We are kind and quietly confident. We don’t need to brag and show off. We already know what’s what.

The bonds of friendship between Aberdeen and Japan have long been in the making.

However, shared connections like Thomas Blake Glover ( the Scottish Samurai), long celebrated in Japan, are only now being recognised in Scotland after a century of history has passed.

Ronnie Watt OBE, ORS has been one of the most robust links with our city and Japan since the days of Glover. A link verified by the Japanese when they awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, an award previously bestowed on Glover, making Ronnie the 2nd Scottish Samurai.

Ronnie is a 9th Dan Karate master who has taught Karate in Aberdeen and around Scotland and abroad for over 50 years. 25 years ago, Ronnie also founded and organised the prestigious Scottish Samurai Awards to recognise the often unnoticed efforts and achievements of people from all walks of life.

The self-funding awards are supported by his Karate, donations and the hard work of the awards committee.

Last weekend, 15 school-children from Nagasaki, Japan. visited Aberdeen

Ronnie organised home-stays for them in Aberdeen with many of his friends and karate-ka. These children experienced a fantastic jam-packed weekend of Scottish culture and history.

The weekend began with the Lord Provost welcoming the children and their host families with a Civic Reception in the Aberdeen Town House.

They then visited the town centre, Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Drum Castle and Crathes. On Saturday they spent the day at the Lonach Gathering – an extraordinary experience, especially if you are from Japan.

The children and families were accompanied by Ronnie and the Consul General of Japan and Lord Charles Bruce. They were welcomed into the arena by the master of ceremonies Robert Lovie and introduced to the Lonach audience with the pipes resounding in the background.

On Sunday night the tour ended with a private party hosted by Pauline Dreelan.

The party began with Ronnie’s Aberdeen children giving a demonstration of Karate. The Japanese then joined in a bit of ceilidh dancing with Charlie Abel from Iron Broo Ceilidh Band providing the music on his accordion. The children loved the Scottish music and dancing and took to it like a duck to water.

One parent of the families commented on how much she enjoyed the company of the Japanese children during the stay.

“They were so polite, and I will miss them. I was in tears when they left. It was very emotional. One of them was so fascinated by everything here, and they even took photos of what was in my fridge!”

It is not our differences that define us. It’s our humanity that unites us.

On Monday morning the groups met up for a tearful goodbye at Aberdeen Airport.

This is the second such visit that Ronnie has organised for the Japanese in Aberdeen. The visits have become a pilgrimage recreating the historic trips of the Japanese students organised by Glover.

The students who visited Scotland over a century ago on Glover’s behalf, went on to modernise Japan and transformed it into one of the worlds most important economies. Glover and his students are celebrated and credited in Japan as the fathers of the new age of industry.

Who knows what might come of these modern-day trips, a century later?

Hiroshima Memorial In Union Terrace Gardens 06.08.16

Aberdeen City, Featured No Responses »

Aug 042016

With thanks to Gwyneth Hinton, Joint Vice-Chair, Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

On Saturday August 6th, Aberdeen and District CND are holding a gathering to commemorate Hiroshima Day. It will take place in Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen at 2.00pm.
The rules of the garden do not allow us to have organised speakers but we shall have two minutes silence at 2.30 pm when, weather permitting we shall lie down.

We encourage you to come along with your family and remember the families who died on that day in 1945.

Bring flowers and candles so that we can make a peace symbol.

Come along with musical instruments to play appropriate music and a picnic so that you can sit awhile afterwards.

For further information please email gwyneth.hinton@googlemail.com

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Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Day – Thurs 6th Aug 2015

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Jul 302015

With Thanks to Jonathan Russell and Aberdeen CND.

Thursday 6th August sees the 70th anniversary of the first ever explosion of a nuclear weapon when the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This was followed on the 9th August by the detonation of a further nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) have organised an event to mark the occasion and remind people of the potential horror of the use of nuclear weapons.

200 peace lanterns will be released onto the river Dee to commemorate the 200,000 men, women and children who died following the nuclear explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many more died later from injuries or prematurely from the horrendous health effects that followed.

We are delighted to have Yu Aoki who lives and works in Aberdeen but who was born in Hiroshima as one of our speakers. Yu Aoki has said

“I grew up listening to the stories of my grandparents and other atomic bomb survivors about their experiences of the 6th August 1945. Many survivors have passed away by now and. I feel that people from the younger generation like myself have to pass on the stories to the next generation so that we learn from the history and never repeat it again as there still are a large number of survivors”

We will have songs from local singers Dave Davies and Kirsty Potts as well as poems by the recently deceased local poet and peace activist, Hilda Meers, which will be read by Tommy Campbell from Unite the Union.

We also have a wide variety of Speakers from Civic, Faith and Community Action Groups.

The memorial event which is open to all the public to attend will take place on Thursday 6th August at 8.30pm by the side of the River Dee at the Fisherman’s hut off Riverside Drive (between the Bridge of Dee and Duthie Park)

Jonathan Russell, Chair of Aberdeen and District CND, stated

“For most of us nuclear weapons have been a part of the world we live in for all of our lives. We can as such often put into the back of our minds just how horrific these weapons would be if used.

“The Independence Referendum has highlighted the fact that the UK’s nuclear weapons are based in Scotland and the United Kingdom Government are intent on building a new generation of atomic weapons at a cost of £20 billion. As a result of the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty and the New Start treaty of December 2010 nearly 50% of these monstrous weapons have been destroyed.

“There are still, however, 19,500 nuclear weapons in the world – enough to destroy our world several times over. Building new atomic weapon systems such as the UK’s Trident replacement diminishes the likelihood of getting rid of the remaining weapons.”

For further information please contact:

Jonathan Russell, Chair of Aberdeen and District CND
Tel: 01224- 586435;
mobile: 0758-245-6233
e-mail: jhamiltonrussell@hotmail.co.uk

Date: Thursday 6th August 2015, at 8.30pm
Venue: the Fisherman’s Hut on the River Dee
(by Riverside Drive )

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Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Day – Wed 6th August 2014

Aberdeen City, Environment, Featured 2 Responses »

Jul 312014

With Thanks to Jonathan Russell and Aberdeen CND.

Wednesday 6th August sees the 69th anniversary of the first ever explosion of a nuclear weapon when the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This was followed on the 9th August by the detonation of a further nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki

Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) have organised an event to mark the occasion and remind people of the potential horror of the use of nuclear weapons.

We are delighted to have Yu Aoki who lives and works in Aberdeen but who was born in Hiroshima as one of our speakers. Yu Aoki has said:

“I grew up listening to the stories of my grandparents and other atomic bomb survivors about their experiences of the 6th August 1945. Most survivors have passed away by now and I feel that people from the younger generation like myself have to pass on the stories to the next generation so that we learn from the history and never repeat it again.”

We will have songs from local singers Dave Davies and Simon Gall as well as poems by the local poet and peace activist, Hilda Meers, which will be read by Tommy Campbell from Unite the Union.

We also have a wide variety of Speakers from Civic, Faith and Community Action Groups. These include Christian Allard MSP, local Councillor Barney Crockett, Iman Ibrahim from the Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre, Clive Potter from the Quakers, Doug Haywood from the Radical Independence Campaign, Brian Carrol a representative from Aberdeen trade union Council and Jill Austin from Aberdeen Against Austerity

The memorial event which is open to all the public to attend will take place on Wednesday 6th August at 8.30pm by the side of the River Dee at the Fisherman’s hut off Riverside Drive (between the Bridge of Dee and Duthie Park – see map below)

Jonathan Russell, Chair of Aberdeen and District CND, stated “For most of us nuclear weapons have been a part of the world we live in for all of our lives.

“We can as such often put into the back of our minds just how horrific these weapons would be if used. The Independence Referendum has highlighted the fact that the UK’s nuclear weapons are based in Scotland and the United Kingdom Government are intent on building a new generation of Atomic weapons at a cost of £20 billion.

“As a result of the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty and the New START treaty of December 2010 nearly 50% of these monstrous weapons have been destroyed. There are still however 19,500 Nuclear Weapons in the world – enough to destroy our world several times over. Building new atomic weapons makes the likelihood of getting rid of the remaining weapons less likely.”

For further information please contact Jonathan Russell, Chair of Aberdeen and District CND,
Tel 01224- 586435,
Mob 0758-245-6233
E-mail jhamiltonrussell@hotmail.co.uk

Date: Wednesday 6th August 2014, at 8.30pm
Venue: the Fisherman’s Hut on the River Dee
(by Riverside drive )

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Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Ceremony 2012

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Aug 032012

With thanks to Aberdeen CND Chair Jonathan Russell.

Monday 6th August sees the 67th anniversary of the first ever explosion of a nuclear weapon, when the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

This was followed on the 9th August by the explosion of a nuclear bomb on the city of Nagasaki.

200 peace lanterns will be released on the river Dee to commemorate the 200,000 men, women and children who died following the nuclear explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many more died later from injuries or prematurely from the horrendous health effects that followed. The memorial event will start with poetry, song and speeches from politicians, students and faith groups.

The event will take place on Monday 6th August at 8.30pm until 10pm by the side of the River Dee at the Fishermans hut off Riverside Drive (between the Bridge of Dee and Duthie Park).

All members of the public are welcome to attend.

For most of us nuclear weapons have been a part of the world we have always lived in. We can often put into the back of our minds how horrific these weapons would be if used. But whether or not to build a new nuclear weapons system in the UK is still an issue of debate.

Worldwide, nearly 50% of these weapons have been destroyed. Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan have become nuclear free. South Africa has unilaterally got rid of its Nuclear Weapons. Argentina and Brazil stopped their Nuclear Programmes in the 1980’s and South America has a treaty which forbids the development of Nuclear weapons, as do the Scandinavian countries.

However, there are still 19,500 Nuclear Weapons in the world – enough to destroy our world several times over. The UK Government currently plans to build new nuclear weapons by restoring the Trident system.

For further information Please Contact Jonathan Russell Chair Aberdeen CND mobile 07582456233 e-mail jhamiltonrussell@hotmail.co.uk

CND Photo Exhibition – 19th To 30th September.

Aberdeen City, Articles, Community, Environment, Information No Responses »

Sep 162011

With thanks to Dave Watt.

Hiroshima – Nagasaki Atomic Bombings – 66 years On’ Exhibition

AbCND has arranged a photographic exhibition in the City Library running from 19th to 30th Sept. The exhibition depicts the devastation caused by the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Nuclear weapons burn people to ashes at temperatures of thousands of degrees and release radiation that damages every cell in a victim’s body. During the two attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the resultant radiation induced illnesses over two hundred thousand people have died.

There are about twenty three thousand nuclear warheads in the world today, each posing a direct threat to the survival of humanity.

For further details see:www.banthebomb.org/AbCND

City Remembers Hiroshima

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Aug 242011

Aberdeen’s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament group has held a memorial service marking 66 years since the nuclear attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War Two. Philip Sim attended the annual event and brings us the following account.

There was a healthy turnout at the event on the banks of the River Dee, where speakers and spectators alike braved the pouring rain and swirling winds.

The service included speeches from a range of political and community groups, including SNP MSP Maureen Watt, Nathan Morrison of the Labour Student’s Association, Gordon Maloney of the Aberdeen University Student’s Association, and Clive Kempe of the Green Party.

Hiroshima Memorial on the River Dee from Philip Sim on Vimeo.

Messages of support were read out from Tomihisa Taue, the mayor of Nagasaki, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, and Aberdeen North MP Frank Doran. Poems and songs were recited, all conveying the same broad anti-nuclear message.

After a minute’s silence, the group lit two hundred peace lanterns, one for each thousand people killed in the nuclear attacks on Japan in 1945, and floated them down the River Dee as the sun went down.

CND rallies were also hosted in Dundee, Ayr and Paisley, while people gathered to hear speeches in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens and Glasgow’s west end.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Day – Sat 6th August 2011

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Aug 012011

With Thanks to Dave Watt and Aberdeen CND.

Saturday the 6th of August sees the 66th anniversary of the dropping of the world’s first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August the 6th in 1945.

Aberdeen CND will be holding a commemoration of the event at the River Dee on the evening of the 6th.

Previous years have seen an increasing amount of attendees at this event with representatives from political parties, faith groups and members of the public.

We will release 200 peace lanterns on the River Dee to commemorate the 200,000 men, women and children who died. There will also be short contributions from persons representing Student organisations, Trade Unions, Faith Groups and Civic leaders.

All are welcome at the event and messages of support have so far been received from the Mayor of Nagasaki (see below), Scotland’s First Minister and local MP Kevin Stewart.

CITY OF NAGASAKI
Message from the Mayor

“Today I would like to say a few words on behalf of the people of Nagasaki for Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Ceremony being held in Aberdeen.

“I would first like to extend my appreciation for the people of Aberdeen and their continued participation and support in lasting peace activities.

“At 11.02am on August 9, 1945 Nagasaki was devastated by a single atomic bomb. With 74,000 people killed instantly in the explosion and a further 75,000 who suffered injuries, Nagasaki fell into ruin. Those who narrowly escaped death were dealt terrible incurable physical and psychological wounds caused by the after effects of the radiation that they suffer from even today, 66 years later.

“Through the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Ceremony, I hope many people of Aberdeen can deepen their general understanding of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and help us work towards realizing a world free of nuclear weapons and everlasting peace.

“In closing, I would like to extend my best wishes for the success of this event and for the good health of all the people who are gathered here today.” – Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki.

Date: Saturday 6th August 2011, at 8.30pm
Venue: the Fisherman’s Hut on the River Dee
(by Riverside drive – See map)

CND campaigns to stop any future mass destructions! We call on the Government to:

Scrap the Trident nuclear system.
Cancel plans for the next generation nuclear weapons
Work for international nuclear disarmament

For further details contact: www.banthebomb.org/AbCND or telephone: 0787-904-6779

Mayor Of Nagasaki Addresses People Of Aberdeen

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Nov 052010

By Dave Watt.

Nearly one hundred people crowded into meeting room 6 in the Art Gallery on Tuesday evening to hear the Mayor of Nagasaki speak about the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Mayor Taue told the audience about Nagasaki’s involvement in the international movement towards nuclear disarmament. He was followed by Takashi Yoshihara, Chairman of Nagasaki City Council and a survivor of the nuclear attack, who spoke about his family’s experiences during and after the atomic bomb attack.

The Director of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Tomoo Kurakawa, then passed round a series of pictures and explained about the horrific effects of nuclear weapons. Questions from the audience followed, and the speakers put forward compelling arguments for abolishing nuclear weapons. The meeting ended with warm applause.

The Mayor and his colleagues were being hosted by Aberdeen City Council as part of the Citizens’ Friendship City link-up with Nagasaki. This event was organised by Aberdeen CND group.

Hiroshima Memorial Day – 6 August 2010

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Articles, Events, Featured, News No Responses »

Jul 302010

By Dave Watt, with thanks to Aberdeen CND.

In recent years, on the evening of 6August, hundreds of people have gathered at the Fishermen’s Hut on the River Dee at Riverside Drive to remember the men, women and children who died in the world’s first nuclear attack, sixty five years ago.

For further details see:www.banthebomb.org/AbCND

CITY OF NAGASAKI Message from the Mayor

CND campaigns to stop any future mass destructions! We call on the Government to:

Scrap the Trident nuclear system.

Cancel plans for the next generation nuclear weapons

Work for international nuclear disarmament

CITY OF NAGASAKI
Message from the Mayor