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Canberra Today 14°/18° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Canberra skills build Wellington Anzac memorial

The Australian Memorial at Wellingtons new National Memorial Park.
The Australian Memorial at Wellingtons new National Memorial Park.
THE Australian Memorial in Wellington, NZ, was formally opened at a dedication ceremony attended by dignitaries headed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the NZ Prime Minister John Key this morning.

It was built and managed from Canberra by local construction firm, Manteena.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks at the memorial dedication ceremony in Wellington.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks at the memorial dedication ceremony in Wellington.
The $5 million memorial is a reciprocal gesture by the Australian government to the “basket handles” of the NZ Memorial (which Manteena also built in 2001) that stands to each side of Anzac Parade in Canberra. The Wellington memorial commemorates the long and close relationship between the people of Australia and NZ and, in particular, our shared Anzac experience of war.

It sits directly opposite NZ’s National War Memorial and Carillon in the new Pukeahu National War Memorial Park.

The Australian Memorial was designed by Sydney architectural firm Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and features 15 columns of rugged red sandstone blocks, symbolic of the “red centre” of Australia, set in sandstone and basalt paving representing the close ties of the two nations.

The columns are six metres high and are each made up of 10 rough-hewn sandstone blocks. In total, the Australian Memorial comprises about 300 tonnes of stone and is set among Red Flowering Yellow Gums, Eucalyptus leucoxylon “Rosea”.

Inset to these columns are panels of reflective black granite. The panel in the central column is inscribed with the word “Anzac”. Seven more columns bear the names of the principal theatres and operations in which Australian and NZ forces served alongside one another.

Anzac ColumnThe remaining seven columns feature granite panels carved with artwork of the first peoples of Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art from the Balarinji Designs Studio; and Maori art by NZ artist Jacob Scott.

The Maori artworks are a way of connecting the Australian Memorial to the site, place and people of NZ. These are balanced by the indigenous Australian works carrying cultural messages about rituals and artefacts. Each column stands on a band of the same red sandstone, extending the stance of the column outward into the landscape. Between these red bands are bands of grey stone, symbolising the NZ landscape: the interweaving is a perpetual reminder of the united destiny of the two nations.

Project director Simon Agnello says: “Manteena was appointed the construction contractor in July, 2013, and assembled a team of highly skilled contractors and artisans to undertake the specialist tasks required to complete the works.

“Construction commenced on site, in Wellington, on October 20, 2014, however the sourcing and selection of stone for the project began in 2013.

“The key challenge for Manteena was to deliver the project on or ahead of a tight program to coincide with the 100 Year Anzac Day commemorations.

“The team successfully co-ordinated the works and managed delivery of materials and products being procured from all around the world.”

The stone work was processed in Canberra and transported to NZ by the RAAF, who were commissioned by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to transport 60 tonnes of stone and granite to Wellington on board two Boeing C17 Globemaster aircraft.

Manteena has produced other high quality memorial works on Anzac Parade including: the Australia NZ Memorial, the National Memorial to Australian Service Nurses and the Australian Korean War Memorial.

Tonnes of Red Sandstone anchored aboard an RAAF Boeing C17 Globemaster heading to Wellington.
Tonnes of Red Sandstone anchored aboard an RAAF Boeing C17 Globemaster heading to Wellington.

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