Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial on ANZAC Parade

The Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial is on Anzac Parade, the principal ceremonial and memorial avenue in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, the capital city of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The memorial was dedicated on 3 October 1992. It commemorates the 50,000 Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, and

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

and associated personnel who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Design

Three concrete stelae, rising from a shallow moat, form the dramatic centre and enclose a space for quiet contemplation. A low stone block is both a seat and a place for laying memorial tributes. Fixed to the right wall are 33 inscriptions, quotations intended to recall events of military and political importance. The memorial features a photograph by Australian Army photographer Mike Coleridge - ''

Members of 5 Platoon, B Company, 7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, 26 August 1967 ''Members of 5 Platoon, B Company, 7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, 26 August 1967'' is a 1967 photograph by Australian military photographer Mike Coleridge. The photograph, taken near the village of Phước Hải in the-then Phư ...

'' The photograph, etched on the rear wall, shows soldiers waiting to be airlifted to the Australian base at Nui Dat after

Operation Ullmarah Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

. The walls offer anchors for wires that suspend a halo of stones: A scroll containing the names of Australians who died in Vietnam is sealed into one of the stones. Six seats surround the memorial, each dedicated to an Australian serviceman missing in action in Vietnam. The memorial was designed by

Tonkin Zulaikha Harford Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, inc ...

in association with sculptor

Ken Unsworth Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * Ken (album), ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * Ken (film), ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * Ken (magazine), ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine ...

AM, and built largely from funds donated from the public to the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial Committee.

External links

* {{coord, 35.287, S, 149.143, E, type:landmark_region:AU-ACT, display=title Military memorials in Canberra Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War Vietnam War monuments and memorials in Australia

Design

See also

External links