War Memorials in Australia

Anzac Hill Memorial

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Place: Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 0871
District: Alice Springs
Orientation:
Location: Anzac Hill
Position: 23 41 68 S     133 52 93 E
Ref: 80001

__________________________

The memorial is a white painted concrete block obelisk on a stepped concrete base.  There are two metal flagpoles, that on the east side flying the Australian flag and that on the west side flying the Northern Territory flag. There is a wall behind the obelisk bearing plaques.

The Alice Springs RSL Sub-Branch, chartered in 1932 with 12 members, was instrumental in having Anzac Hill and what is now Anzac Hill High School and oval granted to them as Anzac Reserve. The Reverend Harry Griffiths of the Australian Inland Mission suggested a memorial be erected on the crown of the hill and he was responsible for the design.  The builder was Mr Jack Donnellan and the cost of £90 was raised by subscriptions, concerts and dances. The road to the memorial, potentially more costly than the monument itself, was constructed with voluntary labour from a small population. Corner floodlights, originally from motor cars and powered by a battery, were replaced with lights from the decommissioned HMAS Yarra in 1979.

On Anzac Day 1934 the RSL President, Dudley Adamson, who was the first postmaster of Alice Springs, unveiled the memorial and laid the official wreath. Reverend Griffiths made the dedication.

 

 

North face
LEST
WE
FORGET

Below this is a plaque:
IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN
AND THE
UNKNOWN AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER

75TH ANNIVERSARY OF
REMEMBRANCE DAY
11. 11. 1993

Two steps below this is another plaque:
THIS MEMORIAL WAS DEDICATED BY
THE REV. HARRY GRIFFITHS (1895-1987) IN 1934.
THE ASHES OF THE REV. GRIFFITH AND THOSE OF
HIS WIFE DOROTHY ARE INTERRED HEREIN

Masonic                                                                  RSL
insignia                                                               insignia

 

West face
Representation of rising sun badge
with crown in middle

 

South face
REMEMBRANCE
1914 - 1919

 

East face
Plaque
REMEMBRANCE

Rising sun badge of
Australian Commonwealth Military Forces
1939                                           1945

On the south side of the monument is a slightly curved wall, rendered and painted white and bearing a number of plaques and badges, reading from west to east:

KOREA Insignia of MALAYA Insignia BORNEO Insignia of VIETNAM
Royal Australian of Australian Royal Australian
1950 - 1953 Navy 1950 - 1963 Imperial Force 1962 - 1966 Air Force 1962 - 1973

 


Information current to May 2000

Sources:  History of the RSL Club in Alice Springs RSL Social Club & War Museum, pamphlet produced by Alice Springs RSL
                        Social Club,  undated

                Correspondence from Mr Don Dickson in Inglis Collection in Australian War Memorial,  AWM PR 00944  9/2


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