2 March 2009

Two 20 metre high granite structures for the Gallipoli Reach

| johnboy
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[First filed: February 26, 2009 @ 17:26]

The SMH reports on new plans for specific memorials to the two world wars of the 20th century.

    The design will see two 20 metre-high granite structures constructed near the stretch of Lake Burley Griffin’s northern foreshore known as Gallipoli Reach, flanking the entrance to Anzac Parade.

Don’t hold your breathe though, apparently it will only be built when enough private money is chipped in to the tune of $21 million.

UPDATED: If you want to donate, or see more pictures of the plans, you can do it at the dedicated website.

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Well they couldn’t drape her over a car or straddle her over a motorbike, I suppose.

Obviously it memorialises all the nude people who have been affected by war.

Why does this memorial include naked person out the front?

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

Me too. They are excessive and instill no emotion.

The cat did it12:12 am 03 Mar 09

These ponderous monuments are a crass hangover from John Howard’s efforts to inject militarism into Australian nationalism. Remember him publicly sobbing over every dead soldier’s returning corpse- what was Paul Keating’s comment? “the ringmaster of grief”? Mussolini would have been proud of such “New Brutalism”styled structures, and the militaristic mindset that goes with it.

Unfortunately, the government’s approach to monuments is like a scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian “… men.” “And women”, where every individual group/conflict/whatever jostles to be individually identified- everybody wins a prize. Far better, and more dignified if there is one single monument- the War Memorial itself. As for the sun shining through slits on the anniversary- If they feel they need to lard on additional layers of ‘significance’ why don’t they go all the way and have an altar stone where they can sacrifice a conscript every Anzac day.

Ugly, stupid idea- I hope the Budget cuts prevent it being built.

Am I missing something? What are these supposed to symbolise?

Do you think the designers intentionally make memorials irresistable for grinding, ollies, flip tricks and other various skateboardy businesses?

The signs point to yes.

old canberran said :

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.

They have also left room for future wars along Anzac parade – Maybe peace and diplomacy isn’t a policy just yet. It would be nice to see memorials of the same volume and expense for other aspects of Australian history maybe all the great scientists and inventors of Australia

Also what stuns me is how cheap those plans/artists renditions look and how much they are stated to cost. Modern “public art” is often very underwhelming, in Australia at least. It seems anyone can bend and paint a few metal girders or place a few blocks on top of each other. While I don’t have anything against contemporary work (I am a graphic designer mostly working in digital production) I feel way to much of the stuff that we see executed has been watered down by committee thinking and wishy-washy bureaucracy.

Look at the Anzac “Arch” and compare it to any other triumphant arch in another great capitol city around the world as a perfect example.

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

theme? i thought 2001 used strauss’ ‘thus spake zarathustra’, not it’s own ‘theme’…

Gungahlin Al3:17 pm 02 Mar 09

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!

Why pile scorn on public service staff when it is the Generals who have initiated the whole debt recovery debacle?

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!

Gungahlin Al11:31 am 28 Feb 09

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”

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.

solomon-trujillo1:24 pm 27 Feb 09

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)

Gungahlin Al1:03 pm 27 Feb 09

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

Italy only left the Triple-Alliance in May 1915.

solomon-trujillo12:13 pm 27 Feb 09

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.

old canberran8:45 pm 26 Feb 09

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.

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