Our mission is to foster the spirituality of active nonviolence in Australia.

Pace e bene (pronounced pah-chay-bay-nay) means ‘peace and all good’ in Italian — it was an expression used by St Francis of Assisi as a greeting and a means of proclaiming the way of nonviolence in the midst of a violent world. PeBA (A for Australia) formed in 2006 by a group of Australians committed to nonviolence as a personal approach to life and an effective means of social transformation. We operate through a local network of facilitators and we develop and run our own programs, as well as being affiliated with Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service in the USA. Our roots have grown in the Franciscan tradition of peace-making, and we embrace all cultures and faiths. PeBA is an association of members who are committed to nonviolence and grounding our lives in:
    • the equality of all people
    • rejoicing in our individual differences
    • the interconnectedness of all things
Our primary purposes (as defined in our constitution) are to:
    • maintain a network of facilitators
    • maintain a public trust fund, called the Pace e Bene Australia Peace Fund, to receive donations and fund projects that promote the prevention or control of behaviour that is harmful or abusive 
    • liaise with Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service in the USA and around the world
    • network with other organisations working to promote peace through active nonviolence
    • set a benchmark of 90% of the Association’s time being devoted to the principal activity, with the remaining 10% being on such as administration, networking and fundraising in support of the principal activity.
We are completely voluntary-run and our activities are overseen by a national committee.

THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE

The National Committee is made up of elected members and oversees the activities of PeBA. The current members are:

DALE HESS

I live in Bun wurrung country in Australia (Melbourne). My interests include peace education and international development, but I have a particular interest in West Papua, the most protracted conflict in the Pacific. I joined Pace e Bene Australia in 2008.

BRENDAN MCKEAGUE

I grew up in Northern Ireland where I experienced a deeply embedded culture of discrimination and violence, alongside a Celtic culture of music, dance, poetry and storytelling. I have been fascinated by the mix ever since.  My passion is for ongoing learning about sustainable, nonviolent peace building through experimentation and discovery. I love to create spaces where conflict transformation and new possibilities might emerge. I have been connected wit Pace e Bene in the USA since 1994 and was a founder member of Pace e Bene Australia in 2006.