Sadako Sasaki was 2 years old at the time of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August, 1945 at 8:15 am. She survived and appeared unharmed, but was diagnosed with leukaemia nine years later. In keeping with the Japanese saying that one who folds 1000 paper cranes will be granted a wish, she kept folding cranes from her hospital bed until her passing on 25 October, 1955 at the age of 12. During her illness, Sadako is said to have shared thoughts on how she could make the world a more peaceful place. Today, Hiroshima receives around 10 million paper cranes each year from all around the world. The paper cranes are displayed at the Children's Peace Monument in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Visitors to Anzac Square Memorial Galleries have been making paper cranes as part of the 1,000 Paper Cranes for Hiroshima project, which has been so popular we now have over 3,000 cranes!

Come and join our friendly working bee on Friday 25 October 2024 from 9:30am - 12:30pm as we thread cranes over morning tea and a chat.

We will teach you how to thread the cranes (and make a paper crane if you haven't already). Included will be a brief tour of the Galleries, followed by a 10-minute Hiroshima slideshow.

We are located directly beneath the Shrine of Remembrance in Anzac Square, Brisbane City. You can reach us through the pedestrian tunnel from Central Station.