The

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

Memorial on Anzac Parade commemorates the service of Australian soldiers. Australian soldiers have fought as a national group in conflicts since the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. This memorial commemorates their continuing tradition of service, in war, conflict and peace operations. The memorial was unveiled by the Governor-General of Australia, The Hon.

Bill Hayden William George Hayden (born 23 January 1933) is an Australian politician who served as the 21st governor-general of Australia from 1989 to 1996. He was Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 1983, and served as ...

AC on 1 November 1989. Presented on behalf of the people of Australia: Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke AC.

Design

The two central figures represent two Australian soldiers facing the east and the rising sun, and represent the importance of ''support'' and ''comradeship'' represented in the Australian term, 'mates'. They wear the distinctive Australian

slouch hat A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, often, although not always, with a chinstrap. It has been worn by military personnel from many different nations including Australia, Ireland, the ...

that carries the 'Rising Sun' badge. The figures stand on a raised podium paved in a radial pattern which refers to the Army insignia. Seven pillars represent the seven major conflicts in which the Australian Army was involved during the 20th century. They are surrounded by water, symbolic of the long sea journeys involved in Australian campaigns. This memorial is also intended to remind the visitor of the importance of the Australian Digger in the development of national character and sentiment. The term 'Digger' was first used to describe the Australian soldiers during the

trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became ar ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The main design was by sculptors

Joan Walsh-Smith Joan Walsh-Smith (born 1946) is an Australian sculptor who works in a variety of mediums and materials. Walsh-Smith has worked on several large-scale memorials throughout Australia. Her most well-known work is the National Australian Army Memor ...

and Charles Smith in collaboration with architects Ken Maher and Partners. The bronze casting was assisted by the Army's

Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Royal Corps of Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME; pronounced Raymee) is a corps of the Australian Army that has responsibility for the maintenance and recovery of all Army electrical and mechanical equipment. RAEME has mem ...

(RAEME).

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Army Memorial, Canberra Australian Army Australian military memorials Military memorials in Canberra