Hi Larry,

I first met you in 1984, prior to travelling back to Wales where I spent some time with Bruce Kent of the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament. You gave me a huge pile of New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone badges and stickers to take with me - so many in fact that the weight of my luggage was increased several fold.

The following year I worked with you and others at HQ in Keyes Road, New Brighton. Your house was always full to the brim of printed material, tapes and all manner of things related to your work.

Through you, we met some of the most extraordinary people - people who like you, were deeply committed to working towards creating a world that was nuclear free; retired military men, scientists, politicians, writers, researchers, activists and artists from all around the world.

You were a tireless worker with such a wealth of knowledge and understanding - someone who's incredible dedication was truly awe inspiring. Your energy and enthusiasm was boundless and although many of us were many years your junior, you were always the last to 'pack it in' for the night.

There were so many, many times when we were rushing to meet deadlines - just one more press release, one more mail-out before the post closed for the day.

You treated everyone with the same kindness and generosity of spirit. You were always interested in what others thought about all manner of things. I still have a book you gave me on hypnosis and your interest in the field was partly instrumental in my subsequent training in the area.

To work with, you were wonderful, funny, frustrating and exhausting, sometimes all at the same time! Why? Because no-one, absolutely no-one could ever match your amazing dedication and determination!

Since the 80's we have worked on a few things together and although there has never been a time quite like those 'heady' days your particular passion for keeping the flame alive for a nuclear free and anti-war world has never burnt out, whereas for many of us it has certainly waxed and waned.

We have kept in touch over the years and it has always been a pleasure to be in your company.
What an extraordinary man you are Larry Ross.
Your work has left a legacy of hope for the future of the world and New Zealand has much to be grateful for that you chose her as your home.

With love and thanks,
Adrienne Thomas - colleague and friend

‘Here's looking at you Larry'

Larry's advent into my life probably occurred when we moved to New Brighton about 23 years ago.

I became involved in the “Keep NZ Nuclear Free Movement & with our smaller New Brighton Peace Group (women in the main).

Larry was always ‘there' completely devoted to his mission. I remember the vast arrays of ‘INFO' at his Keyes Road home/cum office – boxes & boxes, shelves & shelves – flowing from one room to the next (but always time to share a cup of coffee!)

I remember ‘enveloping' screeds of info for members . . . I remember feeling daunted when the stuffed envelope plopped into my own letterbox!

But Larry was tireless, it seemed – keeping himself fit with swimming, etc. I remember a trip to Rangiora when I did a performance of Peace Poetry in the Park – Larry spoke – the stalls were set up with info, badges, stickers, etc. Jenny Lineham created a fabric covered board for me & Larry, supplied me with Peace Badges from all over the world.

This travelled with me as I took my ‘Collections of a Magpie' around & about. The Collection was always laced with Peace Poetry – Siegfried Sasson & our own Lauris Edmonds were favourites & of course the story of the Peace Cranes from Japan.

I remember running into Larry at a garage sale (or 31) & one incident where we both seized upon a brass candelabra …. Why on earth would I have desired to possess a B.C.? Just something in the fossicking, gathering nature of our primal human ancestry? Maybe . . .

Anyhow Larry scored the candelabra – but I doubt it lit his life for long before continuing its journey around about.

I remember visiting (with Larry) an old friend from the Peace Movement who'd been involved in making stalls for Larry. There was so much dedication from so many – but none surpassing that of Larry!

Jill Wilcox - friend & colleague

Dearest Larry

Without time to research I cannot recall the exact moment I met Larry Ross but he came onto the horizon of my life around 1990. I remember being impressed with his display at a peace concert in Thompson Park at North Beach around that time.

I had already seen him around with his peace stall but that day he inspired me so much that I actively offered to assist him by going around the crowd with his Nuclear Free tin and  collect money for the Nuclear free cause.  He also inspired me to get involved with CANT Coalition Against Nuclear Tests - by France in the Pacific. That was where I met many of the other peace people who stand against war  including WILPF which I joined at the time and am still a member today.

When the war broke out in former Yugoslavia in the early 90's, Larry Ross was the first person I went to see for advice on what I could do. My parents came from Macedonia , part of former Yugoslavia and I wanted to do something to help bring peace back to the region.

Larry talked about letter writing to politicians, petitions and peace concerts.

Having seen the work that Larry Ross was doing gave me the confidence to proceed when  I held a Peace Fundraising Concert at Nga Hau E Wha Marae for the Children of Sarajevo in 1994. I wrote a letter about it all to Don McKinnon Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time. In 1995 I met Achmed and Fatima Kafedzic who knew about working in radio in Sarajevo and Radio Bridge - Love Peace and Disarmament on Plains FM 96.9 was born. Larry was always invited and always came to support the peace concerts and events that have been held down through the years. We also started a "Peace for the Balkans" petition which was also inspired by watching Larry with his many petitions. He taught me alot just by doing it himself.

My co producer Eve Walker and myself  have interviewed Larry on our radio program many times over the 11 years that Radio Bridge has now been going. He tirelessly researches the infromation constantly updating our listeners on the world's nuclear threats and more recently speaking out against the wars in Iraq and Afganistan as well as the threat of war with Iran.

Larry Ross is also one of the two sponsors that we must have for our radio program which is now being funded by PADET. Peace and Disarmamnet Education Trust. 

The final paragragh of dedication and honour on my part is for the work that Larry has done against the "Drug War" He is one of the few peace people that understand the connection between the powerful black drug market's ability to make money in order to have the budget to buy arms for wars and power. Hence the term "Drugs for Arms". Larry Ross has written some papers in relation to this, citing CIA involvement and corruption at the highest levels.He has stood with the people on this issue and has bravely spoken out in protests against the evils of prohibition and it's negative downstream effects.

Thank you Larry from the bottom of my heart for standing up against "The Beast".

"Who can stand against the Beast?" This question is asked in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. You Larry Ross have stood against the Beast because you have based your truth on solid ground. When we stand on solid ground "we shall not be moved". Love and Truth are the Victors.

You have made victory of the power of peace over war. You are an inspiration, you are a Great Leader for Peace.

Thank you again for your dedication. You have created a great Nuclear Free foundation, on which peace people will continue to build the dream/vision for a harmonious world where all are as one, united in love and have no need for weapons and war.

We pray for your swift recovery.

             Irinka and Michael Britnell - fellow campaigners and friends

My Father Larry has dedicated his life to public education for peace, specializing in research, writing and presentations which reveal the horror of nuclear weapons and the on going threat of a nuclear war holocaust. He exhorts people to work effectively as individuals together to prevent nuclear war from happening and to pursue nuclear disarmament and the abolition of nuclear weapons and the institution of war.

He brought our family of six children to NZ from Canada in 1961 in order to work more effectively for nuclear disarmament. He did this by establishing the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation in 1962 and then championed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Campaign from 1981. This was a spearhead that provided the unwavering focus and method for reaching an almost impossible but nevertheless achievable goal for the nation. The marketing and promotional tools that he produced generated popular and unifying ideas that were necessary for the success of the multifaceted social, cultural and political phenomena of the New Zealand Peace Movement.

Thank you to all those who value my father and this work.

Laurie Ross

Larry and a peace-making New Zealand foreign policy

By John Gallagher - friend and colleague

I was also at the meeting where Larry spoke - the one that Jenny Lineham referred to on this web page - held at her place. It was there that I first heard some ideas that, before him, had very little currency in New Zealand but have subsequently come to have a very considerable impact on its international policies and relations.
See here for full tribute

To my friend Larry,

I first met Larry in 1994.

I was not really involved in Peace Movement Issues, but it wasn't long before he introduced me to other people who were, and of course I found out for myself just how involved he had been through the 1980s, and was still, with the Nuclear Disarmament Issues worldwide.

We met through a “singles club”, so it wasn't the Nuclear Peace issues which brought us together. I was going through a difficult time after the death of my husband, and I guess we were both looking for companionship. We had fun, walking my dog along Brighton Beach, eating out, movie going, swimming at QE2, even going to rock'n'roll classes for a while. Most of all he made me laugh, he lit up my life, and gave me a reason to live.

I remember it was around 1997 when he was so excited about the Nuclear Free Pacific stickers designed by a young couple who came out from England. They were full of enthusiasm for the cause. We all went to Akaroa to a market day, and Larry and his young friends, and myself, stood at a stall and sold all the Nuclear free badges and stickers.

We also met up with Stan Hemsley in the Square sometimes. He was there every Friday, selling for the Nuclear Free Cause.

Larry has always been a Unitarian, with a humanist viewpoint. When a group of people got together in 1996 to form a Unitarian Fellowship in Christchurch he was one of the founder members, and out of curiosity I went along too. We've both been going along each Sunday since.

In 1998, we went to England and Canada. It was a momentous three month trip of a lifetime. We stayed in very varied accommodations, from hostels to homes, and saw lots of historic England bathed in its summer beauty and the Canadian fall in full splendour. There wasn't a drop of rain to spoil our whole trip, apart from snow in the Rockies, which just made breathtaking scenery.

Along the journey Larry gave talks to Peace Groups in various centres. Each time the theme was the Nuclear Issue.

In England he was invited to talk to the Unitarian Church congregations in Kendal and Sheffield, and to CND groups in Penzance, Christchurch , Horsham and in Cardiff, south Wales. In London he was invited to Kings College in The Strand, to join a panel of people, his topic being ‘Increasing Nuclear Threats'.

In Canada Larry spoke to several Unitarian Church congregations, including Montreal, Toronto and Victoria. He was also asked to speak to Peace groups in Ottawa and in London Ontario.

In Vancouver he spoke to a young youth group, and met up with an older peace colleague he had known previously.

In Calgary, he again spoke to peace groups and also flew from there to Edmonton, by special invitation, to give a ‘Ploughshares” award to a group of Super Grans who had worked hard for peace.

On Vancouver Island in Victoria he spoke to the news media, tv, and the Unitarian church through an invitation of doctors belonging to Medicins sans Frontiers. Here he looked at the time clock set for nuclear closeness, and at that time it was nine minutes to midnight. The clock was set in the pavement of a sidewalk. I wonder what it is set at now.

He also spoke to another group in Nanaimo before we returned to Vancouver and then on Home.

Since that time, Larry has continued to be involved in Nuclear Peacemaking, and has carried on trying to encourage others to “carry the flag”.

He has been helped by others to set up a website, which has continued to have a following of readers from around the world. In recent years this has been Larry's main focus.

I'm sure Larry will carry on being involved, even though he is now living in a different place, and his pace of life may be a little slower. I wish you well Larry, and all the strength you need to recover your health.

Your loving friend, Brenda