The Australian War Memorial, commemorating servicemen killed in battle across more than 150 years of conflict, holds a very special place in the heart of Australians. But it is a place of significance for New Zealanders, too. The bond between the two nations, forged in France, Gallipoli, Crete, as well as more recent deployments, is not forgotten here in the Australian capital. That sense of battlefield kinship is in evidence even as you drive up ANZAC Parade. Long lines of eucalyptus are interleaved by borders of Hebe shrubs from New Zealand.
And the entrance to the Parade is marked by two arching sculptures (one for each nation) representing the handles of a kete flax basket. 'Mau tena kiwai o te kete, maku tenei', is inscribed at the foot of New Zealand arch – 'each of us at a handle of the basket' – reflecting the shared burdens of those who served in the ANZAC units. Ahead, as you drive towards the memorial, the white-domed Hall of Memory makes a striking contrast with Mount Ainslie rising behind.
It is inside this Byzantine-style building, lined with mosaics, that the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier was placed in 1941. Each wall has a stained-glass window, picturing an Airman, a Sailor, a Servicewoman, and a Soldier. These powerful works of art were created by Napier Waller, a soldier who lost an arm on the Western Front. Behind the Hall are the cloisters where the Roll of Honour is kept – inscribed with over 100,000 names of Australia's fallen. Names only, and not rank – respecting the maxim 'all men are equal in death'.
Memories of a different kind are preserved in the ANZAC Hall, lying behind the main Memorial Building. It is a museum covering the history of the conflicts that Australia and New Zealand have been involved in. One wing covers World War I, the other World War II. Both house impressive collections – including an RAAF Lancaster bomber, a Japanese mini-sub sunk in Sydney and rare experimental German WWII jets. But they also tell the very personal tale of men from the Antipodes flung into conflict far from home. And it's the personal that helps makes sense of the Memorial too. The loss may not be repaired, but it can be placed – and the Australian War Memorial can only help in that grounding.
