Melbourne turned out in force for the global Climate Strike. Organisers called it at 150,000, certainly the crowds were well over 100,000, a good part of Australia’s 350,000, the culmination of months of work for the School Strike movement and their allies. The crowds overflowed Treasury Gardens, completely clogging Spring St and right up to the Treasury buildings and government offices.
Kids, parents, First Nations and Pacific, workers and grandparents massed together, standing against the huge climate impacts that Australians are bearing right now – fires, floods, drought and scorching heat.
So many kids arrived early, some with parents, some with friends, most with poignant hand made signs.
It was heart stirring to realise that people waited patiently over an hour to join the main march route up Collins, along Spencer and down Flinders – the front arriving back well before the rear had left.
Kids on shoulders, music, puppets, creativity and sheer determination to act on climate, right now, right here.
As adults, our highest duty is make sure that our kids and grandkids still have a beautiful world to call home. 150,000 Melburnians, give or take, made a powerful statement to the world and to our government to that effect this last Friday.
