The Canberra Times reports progress on a plan to erect in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial a shrine or monument to the families of Australian service personnel. Public and corporate donations will be sought.
The leader of the campaign for the families memorial is retired Major-General Stephen Day. He wrote an opinion piece last year outlining the case for the memorial.
Comment by David Stephens
Honest History has consistently put the view that, of course, war is an important part of Australian history, not so much because of the military exploits that occur during wars but because of the impacts of war on individuals, families and communities, both during wars and afterwards. The proposed shrine or monument should reflect this – as should the War Memorial as a whole.
Given the overwhelming emphasis at the War Memorial on men and women in uniform, the Memorial’s support for this project is welcome. Perhaps it could put up some of the money, as well. Perhaps it could also ensure that the monument refers to all war-affected families worldwide.
3 September 2015