Two 20 metre high granite structures for the Gallipoli Reach

It just looks like a giant crack to me!

BerraBoy68 said :

Given the level of effort they’re currently putting in in the Gulf, I really think we need an SAS memorial more than a WWI and WWII memorials.

May I suggest something along the lines of a life size bronze trooper in full fighting kit handing his wallet to a faceless public servant?!

There is an SAS Memorial in Canberra – hidden away in that little park outside the AFP HQ.

But I agree, a proper one on ANZAC Pde should be built for the SAS. My idea for a memorial would be a bronze SAS trooper lying prone in the midst of a firefight, while a aluminium faceless PS official removes the trooper’s wallet from his back pocket!

Given the level of effort they’re currently putting in in the Gulf, I really think we need an SAS memorial more than a WWI and WWII memorials.

There already is one, but all the people who have seen it are dead!

monomania said :

Something as massive as this would draw the eye away from the most important feature of Anzac parade, the Australian War Memorial, one of the few national buildings in Canberra of any real substance.

My thoughts too.

Given the level of effort they’re currently putting in in the Gulf, I really think we need an SAS memorial more than a WWI and WWII memorials.

May I suggest something along the lines of a life size bronze trooper in full fighting kit handing his wallet to a faceless public servant?!

johnboy said :

And do we fly the soviet flag or the new russian one?

Soviet Russia left the war, so you’d have to have the Czar era flag…

caf said :

harley: You can do what you like with your refund from the immigration bridge (if you actually donated to it, that is).

Caf: Didn’t waste my hard-earned on it… I’d consider donating to this though , if I knew a hell of a lot more about “MDC”

thanks for the link, BenMac

and if anyone else is as stupid as me, and sees the mdc site has no links, contact or mission… turn on javascript for the site, bloody firefox and “noscript”

I also found THIS website which talks about the memorials and has a few more pictures.

http://www.mdc.org.au/images/mdc1.jpg
http://www.mdc.org.au/images/mdc2.jpg
http://www.mdc.org.au/images/mdc3.jpg

I found a couple of photos of the launch.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b204/BJ083/memorial1.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b204/BJ083/memorial2.jpg

Something as massive as this would draw the eye away from the most important feature of Anzac parade, the Australian War Memorial, one of the few national buildings in Canberra of any real substance. This is as stupid an idea as the immigration bridge. If a national memorial is not important enough to be built by the community it should not be built. Keep the private sector out. They only want the publicity to lead to more profit.

“From a place you’ve never heard of, a story you’ll never forget”

I’m guessing that they publish it in a different cover over here?

Wandering around a Utah CD/DVD shop today, I spotted a copy of Gallipoli in the bargain bin. It featured a large picture of Mel Gibson, and the blurb “From a place you’ve never heard of, a story you’ll never forget” and it was 8 bucks. No I didn’t buy it.

johnboy said :

Italy only left the Triple-Alliance in May 1915.

Exactly, when they entered the war. They were neutral before (given they had more or less secret alliances going both ways)

Is anyone else hearing the 2001 Space Odyssey theme ringing in their ears?

Italy only left the Triple-Alliance in May 1915.

johnboy said :

Or the Italians who switched sides in both wars…?

Sorry JB, I believe the Italians only switched side in WWII, WWI was all about kicking the Great Central Empires’ (i.e. Austria-Hungary and Germany-Prussia) butt

And do we fly the soviet flag or the new russian one?

My vote would be for the flags of the era, since countries have come and gone. If you were to fly the Russian one, you would have to fly the flags of every other Nation which at the time was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

From the SMH article:

“The committee’s chairman Mike Buick said each of the memorials would have sections cut from the structure to represent significant dates in the conflicts such as the Gallipoli landings and the fall of Singapore.

On the anniversaries of each of these dates, the sunlight at dawn in Canberra would shine directly along the cut lines in the memorials.”

That actually sounds pretty cool. Stonehenge-esque.

The architect, his designs and models will be on Stateline tonight.

harley: You can do what you like with your refund from the immigration bridge (if you actually donated to it, that is).

I’m still in favour of bringing home one of the Saddam-sword sets from Baghdad as our war bounty, and setting them up across the parade. It’s the colonial way – invade, conquer, take pretty stuff and put it up in your capital.

How many more memorials do they want? Surely the one at the end of Anzac Parade should be enough. A waste of good money and I think they will ruin that wonderful view from Parliament house to the War Memorial and vice versa.

So that’s what the model was. Wandered past it today in the Parli House basement, looked like awaiting transport.

If it’s still there tomorrow (doubtful) I’ll try to get a snap.

Allied countries’ flags facing the lake? A bit confrontational to all those we have relations with directly opposite.

I wonder what they’ll do with the Japanese, allies in WWI but enemies in WWII.

Or the Italians who switched sides in both wars…?

And do we fly the soviet flag or the new russian one?

Can we take the refunds from the immigration crockbridge and put it to this?

Damn. I saw the model of these today and was going to take a picture, but was late to where I was going. It’s a very interesting idea. I’m sure lots of people would say that it will spoil the lake, espically the view from Parliament House towards the War Memorial and vice versa.

They looked like huge rectangles on their sides with the center cut out, so I guess you could walk inside them. They’d also have flags of the allied countries whom fought in front facing the lake.