CAUSE FOR APPLAUSEC
uriosity has rewarded my
husband, George, and me
many times during our
life together. One shining exam-
ple occurred during a 2006 visit
to Hudson’s Hope in northern
British Columbia, when George
went flying with a friend in his
Piper Cub, curious as always
to see the landmass beneath
his feet from another perspec-
tive. They flew over the town
of Hudson’s Hope, the Bennett
Dam and the mighty Peace River,
taking photos as they went. At
one point, the pilot told George
to take a good look below, where
he noted what looked to be large
circles carved into the ground.
“UFO site?” George asked
quizzically.
“No, but after our flight, I’ll
show you an article in the local
newspaper on this particular
project,” the pilot answered as
he dipped in for a better look.
The article explained that in
1999 a British Columbian artist
named Deryk Houston made a
journey to Baghdad to see first-
hand the suffering that war and
sanctions had inflicted on the
people of Iraq, women and chil-
dren in particular. He witnessed
rampant destruction and the
deprivation of medicine, food and
water that resulted in the death of
an estimated half a million chil-
dren under five years of age.
The trip changed Deryk’s life
forever, setting him on a course
to become an artist who uses theearth as his canvas and peace as
his inspiration.
Upon his return to Peace River
Country, he, along with his son,
Sam, and volunteer Phil Kirtzing-
er, who operated the heavy
machinery, constructed a series of
concentric circles made of sand,
gravel and hay, roughly 1,000 feet
in diameter. Symbolic render-
ings of a mother and her child
were created at the centre of the
work. Deryk’s hope was that the
site would become a permanent
sanctuary of peace, a place to visit
for people searching for spiritual
renewal, new hope or just a few
precious moments of inner peace.
In 2003, the National Film
Board of Canada produced ashort documentary titled From
Baghdad to Peace Country by
Sherry LePage, which traces
the artist’s footsteps during his
time in Iraq and afterwards. The
movie highlights Deryk’s unique
way of objecting to war, using the
very earth around him to create
art in a bid to nurture global
peace.
With most of us here in Can-
ada being safe and sound in our
own environments, and relatively
ignorant of what’s going on be-
hind the scenes in far-away, war-
torn countries, how often do we
stop to think about the loss of a
child or a mother’s struggle to find
the necessities of life in the midst
of chaos a world away? We only
come face to face with the facts
when they are brought to our
attention in a meaningful way.
Such was the effect that Deryk’s
work had on both my husband
and me. While few of us have
the talent and determination to
create such a monumental tribute
to peace, we can draw inspiration
from people like Deryk and do our
part, in our own way, to help the
cause. After all, we are all soldiers
of peace. March on! ■Circles of Peace
A flight over Hudson’s Hope, B.C.,
leads to an inspirational sighting
by Joyce Sjogren,Wetaskiwin, Alta.An aerial view of Deryk Houston’s
“Peace Sanctuary,” which he created
after witnessing horrors in Iraq.PHOTO:
WAYNESAWCHUK16 More of Our Canada SEPTEMBER 2019