Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Plaque on west side of memorial

KEMAL ATATURK MEMORIAL

(Map of the world)

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) led and inspired the Turkish forces at Gallipoli. As the founder and first President of modern Turkey, he is regarded as 'the father of the nation'. This memorial, designed by Turkish sculptor Huseyin Gezer, honours Kemal Ataturk and also the heroism and self-sacrifice of both the ANZAC and Turkish troops taking part in that bitterly fought campaign.

The memorial, created by the architectural firm PDCM Pty Ltd, consists of a crescent-shaped wall on a circular paved area. The form of the wall reflects the crescent and five-pointed star of the Turkish flag. At the centre of the memorial, placed in a time capsule, is soil from the battlefields of Gallipoli.

Centrally located on the wall is a bronze likeness of Ataturk, a gift of the Turkish government. The inscription beneath - Ataturk's own words - pays warm tribute to the ANZACs and reflects his understanding of the awful cost of war. Surrounding the memorial are pine trees, Pinus halepensis, grown from seed collected from the Gallipoli 'lone pine'.

Place: Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, 2612
District: Southern Tablelands (ACT)
Orientation: Suburb of Canberra
Location: Anzac Parade, east side
Position: 35 16 97 S 149 08 88 E
Ref: 00012

The memorial is a crescent-shaped wall derived from the symbol on the Turkish flag. Designed by Huseyin, it is constructed from aggregate concrete, polished granite, stone sets and copper alloy and is placed on a circular mosaic made up of small granite squares. In the centre section is a bust of Kemal Ataturk and inscribed in the south west corner is the crescent and star symbol of the Turkish flag. To the south of the memorial are two flag poles which fly the Australian and Turkish flags and further south again is a notice board with a description in both English and Turkish. A canister containing soil from Gallipoli has been placed in the ground at the memorial's centre.

In 1985, seventy years after the historic Anzac landing, the Australian and Turkish Governments unveiled this memorial to commemorate the Gallipoli Campaign. The memorial is named after Turkey's first president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who led an Ottoman regiment in defence against the Allies. It honours the heroism and sacrifice of both the Anzac and Turkish troops who took part in the campaign. The words inscribed on the memorial are Ataturk's tribute to those Anzacs who did not return from Gallipoli.

It was built by the Australian Government to reciprocate the agreement of the Turkish Government to an Australian request for the official naming as "Anzac Cove" of the beach where the Anzac forces landed on 25 April 1915. The other reciprocal gestures agreed to by the Australian Government were to name that part of of Lake Burley Griffin at the foot of Anzac Parade as Gallipoli Reach and to name the entrance to King George Sound, at Albany in Western Australia, as Ataturk Entrance. King George Sound is where the first Anzac convoy assembled before departure. Another Kemal Ataturk Memorial has been built overlooking Ataturk Entrance.

On central panel of wall below bust of head of Kemal Ataturk

THOSE HEROES THAT SHED THEIR BLOOD
AND LOST THEIR LIVES... YOU ARE
NOW LYING IN THE SOIL OF A FRIENDLY
COUNTRY. THEREFORE REST IN PEACE.
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
JOHNNIES AND MEHMETS TO US
WHERE THEY LIE SIDE BY SIDE HERE IN
THIS COUNTRY OF OURS... YOU, THE
MOTHERS, WHO SENT THEIR SONS FROM
FARAWAY COUNTRIES WIPE AWAY YOUR
TEARS; YOUR SONS ARE NOW LYING IN
OUR BOSOM AND ARE IN PEACE. AFTER
HAVING LOST THEIR LIVES ON THIS LAND
THEY HAVE BECOME OUR SONS AS WELL.'

KEMAL ATATURK (1934)

Circular plaque at ground level in centre of mosaic

SOIL FROM
ANZAC COVE, TURKEY
WAS PLACED BENEATH THIS
PLAQUE AT THE COMMEMORATION
OF THIS MEMORIAL ON 25 APRIL 1985, THE
70TH ANNIVERSARY   OF   THE   LANDING   AT
GALLIPOLI,   BY   HIS   EXCELLENCY   MR.    VAHIT
HALEFOGLU,    MINISTER    FOR    FOREIGN     AFFAIRS
OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY IN THE PRESENCE
OF   THE HONOURABLE GORDON SCHOLES,
MINISTER FOR TERRITORIES AND ACTING
MINISTER FOR VETERANS' AFFAIRS OF
THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA AND
THE HONOURABLE FRANK O'FLYNN,
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AND
ASSOCIATE MINISTER FOR
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
NEW ZEALAND.

On sign board to south of memorial -next to the English version is a Turkish translation

ATATURK MEMORIAL GARDEN

IN 1985, SEVENTY YEARS AFTER THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN OF WORLD WAR I, THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT AGREED TO RECOGNISE THE NAME 'ANZAC COVE' FOR THE PLACE ON THE GALLIPOLI PENINSULA WHERE THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TROOPS LANDED, ON 25 APRIL 1915.

IN RETURN FOR THIS GESTURE, THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED THIS MEMORIAL GARDEN, WHICH HONOURS THE HEROISM AND SELF - SACRIFICE THAT DISTINGUISHED BOTH THE ANZAC AND TURKISH TROOPS WHO TOOK PART IN THAT BITTERLY FOUGHT CAMPAIGN.

KEMAL ATATURK (1881 - 1938) WAS FOUNDER AND FIRST PRESIDENT OF MODERN TURKEY, AND LEADER OF TURKISH FORCES IN THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN. THE WORDS INSCRIBED ON THE MEMORIAL ARE ATATURK'S TRIBUTE TO THOSE ANZACS WHO DID NOT RETURN FROM GALLIPOLI.