Anzac Square, Brisbane
Encyclopedia
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
, is a Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
state memorial to men and women who participated in overseas armed service. It is located between Ann Street
Ann Street, Brisbane
Ann Street runs parallel to Adelaide Street and is the northern-most street in the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. It is a major thoroughfare, running straight through the city and linking the suburb of Fortitude Valley with the Riverside Expressway....
and Adelaide Street
Adelaide Street, Brisbane
Adelaide Street, which is a major thoroughfare in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, runs parallel to Queen Street and Ann Street.Notable buildings and parks along Adelaide Street include Brisbane City Hall, King George Square, ANZAC Square with the Shrine of Remembrance , ANZAC Square Arcade, Law...
(opposite Post Office Square
Post Office Square, Brisbane
Post Office Square is a public square which is built over a collection of shops. The square is situated between Queen Street and Adelaide Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Post Office Square was opened on 5 April 1984....
), in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia. ANZAC Square is adjacent to ANZAC Square Arcade
Anzac Square Arcade, Brisbane
ANZAC Square Arcade is a shopping centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is on the corner of Edward Street and Adelaide Street, adjacent to ANZAC Square from which it derives its name...
. It was opened on Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
, 1930.
ANZAC Square contains the Shrine of Remembrance
Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane
The Shrine of Remembrance is located in ANZAC Square, between Ann Street and Adelaide Street, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. With its 'Eternal Flame', the Shrine is a war memorial dedicated to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ....
and the 'Eternal Flame of Remembrance' held in a continuously lit bronze urn, dedicated on Tuesday, 11 November 1930.
There is also the World War II Shrine of Memories. Daphne Mayo
Daphne Mayo
Daphne Mayo MBE is a significant 20th century Australian artist, most prominently known for her work in sculpture, particularly the tympanum of Brisbane City Hall.-Early life:...
sculptured the Women's War Memorial that forms part of the memorial's wall.
The external wall of the Shrine of Memories is dedicated to the 60,000 Queenslanders who fought in World War I. There are also war-related statues, for various wars, including memorial statues for the Queensland soldiers who fought during the Second Boer War (1899–1902), as well as World War II, the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and campaigns in Korea
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Borneo and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
On 25 April, every year, a Dawn Service is held at the Shrine of Remembrance and ANZAC Square.
ANZAC Square was registered on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
in 1980 and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Some of the symbolism used are as follows
- the 18 columns of the Shrine represent the year of peace after World War 1—1918.
- also symbolizing the year (1918) are the number of stairs leading up to the shrine—19 stairs in the first row and 18 stairs in the second row.
- the bottle trees commemorate the Queensland Light Horse Regiments, which served in South Africa's Boer War (1899–1902).
- the palm trees are Middle East date palms and they represent Australia's success in the Middle East during both World Wars. Palms are also a biblical symbol of victory.
External links
- Shrine of Remembrance - Anzac Square, Brisbane - Anzac Day War Memorials official website
- Brisbane's Anzac Square - Digger History official website
- Digger History official website
- ANZAC Day Web Site