ANZAC War Memorial |
The ANZAC War Memorial is Sydneys main commemorative military monument, designed by C. Bruce Dellit and completed in 1934.
Located at the southern extremity of Hyde Park on the eastern edge of Sydneys central business district, the Memorial is the focus of commemoration ceremonies on ANZAC Day, Armistice Day and other important occasions.
Among its most breathtaking features is the interior bronze statue Sacrifice (sculptured by Raynor Hoff) depicting the body of a soldier held aloft by three women, representative of the soldiers mother, sister and wife.
The male figures nudity was considered shocking at the time of the monuments opening, and it is said to be the only such representation of a naked male form within any war memorial.
Two other even more controversial figural sculptures designed by Hoff - one featuring a naked female figure - were never installed on the eastern and western faces of the structure as intended, partly as a result of opposition from high ranking, reactionary local Catholic Church representatives.
The buildings exterior is adorned with several bronze friezes, carved granite relief panels and twenty monumental stone figural sculptures symbolising military personnel, also by Hoff.
The interior is largely faced in white marble with a dome ceiling housing 120,000 stars, commemorating the military volunteers of World War I.
Immediately to the north of the ANZAC Memorial is a large rectangular "Lake of Reflections"flanked by rows of poplars. The poplars, not native to Australia, symbolise the areas of France in which Australian troops fought.
Original plans called for the construction of similar pools on each of the other sides of the building, but these were never built. There is currently a proposal by the City of Sydney to complete the second Lake of Reflection in time for the 75th anniversary of the ANZAC Memorial.
The term ANZAC in the memorials name is an acronym for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps", which was the original name for the combined corps of Australian and New Zealand troops who fought in World War I.
❊ Web Links ❊
➼ ANZAC War Memorial
➼ www.sydneyarchitecture.com
➼ www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
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