Six little acorns bear a great oak By MICHAEL GORDON 2000-07-25 01:57:56 In the beginning, it sounded so simple. Nelson Mandela would visit Australia, address an audience of 50,000 students and provide the leadership needed for reconciliation. The idea emerged from a group of year 9 students at Trinity Grammar and their teacher, but it took a promoter and a Melbourne-based information technology company to turn it into reality. In the process, the students' idealism was injected with a heavy dose of marketing reality and hard-nosed corporate pragmatism until, finally, the unofficial World Reconciliation Day was born. This then is the story behind a marketing phenomenon, the story of how one of the world's greatest peacemakers was enticed to deliver what is being billed as a blueprint for peace and reconciliation at Colonial Stadium on Friday, September 8. It began more than 12 months ago, although Trinity history teacher Jon Carnegie had been canvassing options to promote the cause of reconciliation well before that. Six students came up with the idea of calling on Mr Mandela. As Justin Chan, 15, now in year 10, explained, the students had studied Mr Mandela's life before turning their attention to reconciliation in Australia. It was hardly surprising his name resurfaced as the person best placed to offer inspiration and example. "It was also the fact that we were frustrated with the leadership (in Australia) at the current time," recalled 16-year-old Piers Mitchem. "We felt that youth couldn't get their voice across." Towards the end of last year, Mr Carnegie raised the idea with an old friend, Melbourne promoter Graeme Alford, whose initial response was hardly encouraging. "Look, I've been chasing Mandela for four years. Join the queue. He gets 7000 invitations a week," was his reply. But they kept talking, fleshed out a proposal and, in November last year, Mr Alford flew to Johannesburg and spoke to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. It involved an address to an audience of more than 40,000, e-cast around the world and televised, along with a big concert, with all the proceeds - and a guaranteed $2 million - going to the children's fund. Neither Mr Carnegie nor Mr Alford can recall who came up with the World Reconciliation Day banner. Said Mr Alford: "We started down the path of asking the United Nations to declare it, but it all got so hard that I said, `let's get the event up and running and if it's a success - and I'm sure it will be - we can go back to the UN and have it declared as a day on the calender'." Mr Alford then approached Adam Radly, the chief executive of ISIS Communications, who will host the event and webcast it live to a potential global audience of 300 million. While between 3000 and 10,000 sponsored tickets will go to students, the public will be charged $89 a seat, with some ranging from $295 to $895. The approach to Mr Mandela culminated with a hand-written request from Justin Chan in May outlining the model of reconciliation developed by the group and known as FLARES. FLARES stands for faith, learning, action, respect and synergy - the necessary ingredients for reconciliation. "It's our belief that Australia's getting let down by the E (for empathy)," said Justin. "They're not feeling sorry with people, they're feeling sorry for people." While the original idea of an all-student audience has been compromised, the students believe the Net will deliver the message to a much bigger audience than they ever imagined. Moreover, all students have the chance to become one of 12 young ambassadors who will meet Mr Mandela by offering their own 20-word definition of reconciliation on the website http://www.wrd2000.com. There will also be tangible results for indigenous Australia. An Australian division of the children's fund will be set up, with proceeds helping disadvantaged children, particularly those from indigenous backgrounds. This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/news/20000725/A27678-2000Jul24.html