National Solemn Assembly

I went to the Solemn Assembly called by a collection of prayer networks in Australia. The event ran for 3 days, comprising 2 x 9 hours of prayer on Friday and Saturday, culminating in a 3-hour prayer event on the lawns of the concourse between Old and New Parliament House in Canberra.

First I had to catch a bus to the airport, the red-eye special:

Then I arrived at Canberra Airport and set out on foot via the bikeway alongside the Molongolo River, which runs into Lake Burley-Griffin:

This was the sign that welcomed me to Canberra and the local indigenous territory:



This was the first sight I had of the mast on top of Parliament House:



Here I got off the bikeway to cross a bridge over the Lake, and looking back saw the massive - what can I call it - totem pole with eagle's wings on the top. I don't know what it is, though I am sure it is easy enough to find out. Possibly Defence related?



I was quite taken by the big monuments, and whipped out my camera to record the chiming of the bell tower by the lake. I was too late, unfortunately, as you hear on this next video. The fountain was going on the lake, which I had seen in books but never appreciated the massive size of the fountain. Note the building on the left of the fountain is much closer in the foreground and you get an idea how high the fountain shoots into the air.

The next video shows the action at the Assembly. It was hard to gauge the numbers present - which seem thin on here - because so many, especially the elderly, were sitting under trees on either side of the column. It was a 34 degree Celsius day with little cloud offering shade. I was constantly putting sunscreen on:

This is a picture of the crowd dispersing, at the end - just prior to which they tried to get as many people as possible to stand in the middle. Not everyone came out, but you can see the flags and numbers gathered.

I took this last photo from in front of New Parliament House, looking down to the Old Parliament House, to try and capture the sound stage and remaining crowd dispersing way down the colonnade. You can also see the fountain in the left background, to give an idea of how high it shoots in the air.



Lastly, I went quickly into Parliament House to look at the House of Representatives and the Senate. It was interesting to see and I was worried about space on my camera, so took a quick video on my mobile phone of the House of "Reps" where the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and their parties and others do battle and run the country on weekdays.

It was a shame not to be able to enjoy Canberra for longer, but my mission was accomplished. I think Canberra is best enjoyed over a few days to see all the sights.

I headed home to arrive home about 18 hours after I walked out the door at about 4:30am.

For more pics of the Assembly, visit ausprayernet.org.au.