ANZAC SQUARE, BRISBANE

ANZAC Square is a heritage-listed town square located between Ann Street and Adelaide Street (opposite Post Office Square), in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a state memorial to the men and women who participated in overseas armed service and is named in honour of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

ANZAC Square is adjacent to ANZAC Square Arcade. It was opened on Armistice Day, 1930. ANZAC Square contains the Shrine of Remembrance and the 'Eternal Flame of Remembrance' held in a continuously lit bronze urn, dedicated on Tuesday, 11 November 1930.

There is also the World War II Shrine of Memories. Daphne Mayo sculptured the Women's War Memorial that forms part of the memorial's wall. The external wall of the Shrine of Memories is dedicated to the 60,000 Queenslanders who fought in World War I. There are also war-related statues, for various wars, including memorial statues for the Queensland soldiers who fought during the Second Boer War (1899–1902), as well as World War II, the Vietnam War and campaigns in Korea, Borneo and New Guinea.On 25 April, every year, a Dawn Service is held at the Shrine of Remembrance and ANZAC Square.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme.

GROUND ZERO, NYC, 2003

On this anniversary of 9/11, the violent terrorist act that claimed the lives of 3000 or so innocent victims still haunts the memory of all people around the world who believe that non-violent means for achieving a change for the better is the only means that befits a rational, humane and thinking human being. September eleven still horrifies and disturbs all human beings who have a pure heart.

The world has changed since that attack and we, the survivors have a duty to do our best in order to ensure that such acts become not only impossible in the future, but are declared to be reprehensible and heinous, all over the world by all leaders. The way that we bring up our children, the way that we worship our God, the way that we live our life, the way that we administer justice, the way that we ensure that each person on this earth has dignity, freedom and a comfortable life where basic needs are met, should all contribute to the war against terror. This is how we ensure that such attacks do not recur. One does not go to war to stop terrorism - one does not fight a terrorist act with another terrorist act.

We visited Ground Zero when we were in New York City in 2003 and we were speechless with emotion and awestruck by the terrible sights we saw, the stories we heard, the people we met, the things we read... No photograph can convey the desolation of the place and the plight of both those lost and those that survived them. And yet the cross made of rusty iron girders, the exhibit in St Paul's Chapel and the mural that we saw nearby are deep and heart-felt memorials to those involved in the tragedy.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Taphophile Tragics meme.

MARINE TERRACE, FREMANTLE

On Marine Terrace, in the Esplanade Reserve of Fremantle, there is a monument to a Portuguese navigator. This commemorates explorer Vasco de Gama (1469 - 1525) the Portuguese navigator whose voyages linked Europe with the Indian Ocean. The monument designer is  John Kirkner, the ceramicist is  Edgar Naylor and the sculptor is Clare Bailey.

Vasco da Gama, was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India. For a short time in 1524 he was the Governor of Portuguese India, under the title of Viceroy.

The monument was dedicated in 1997 and the  front inscription reads: "To commemorate the Portugese navigator Vasco de Gama, Whose voyages united Europe with the Indian Ocean  - Vasco de Gama 1469 – c 1525."

Opposite this is the Fremantle Maritime Museum.

A rather tangential entry to Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme,

and also part fo the Our World Tuesday meme.

MONUMENT TO DORIS MAY GRAHAM

Next to the Festival Centre in Adelaide, by the banks of the Torrens River, is a monument to Doris May Graham (1912-2004). She was a South Australian woman who did much to better the relations between white Australians and Indigenous Australians. She and he husband Cecil Wallace Graham wrote "As we’ve known it: 1911 to the present", published by the Aboriginal Studies and Teacher Education Unit (ASTEC), Underdale, in 1987. It is an Autobiographical account of life at the Point Pearce Mission.

I could not find much else relating to Doris May Graham, except the information on the memorial, which stands as a cenotaph to her memory. Her 15 children I am sure would be proud of her and may have had something to do with the erection of this memorial.

This post is part of Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

RAJGHAT OF GANDHI, DELHI

Raj Ghat ("King's River Bank") is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. It is a black marble platform that marks the spot of Mahatma Gandhi's cremation, Antyesti (Antim Sanskar) on 31 January 1948, a day after his assassination. It is left open to the sky while an eternal flame burns perpetually at one end. It is located on the banks of the river Yamuna in Delhi in India on Ring Road officially known as Mahatma Gandhi Road. A stone footpath flanked by lawns leads to the walled enclosure that houses the memorial.

The memorial has the epitaph Hē Ram, (literally 'O' Ram', but also translated to 'O God'), believed to be the last words uttered by Gandhi. The memorial was designed by Vanu G. Bhuta. It was originally designed to reflect the simplicity of Mahatma Gandhi's life. The design that won the government of India invitational competition had the black marble slab surrounded by red earth as none of Gandhiji's ashram residences had any "English lawn".

The memorial has gone through a number of design changes since then, a few at the behest of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India.In recent years, it has become customary for foreign dignitaries visiting India to pay their respects to Gandhi at the Raj Ghat by laying flowers or wreaths on the platform. As a sign of respect, visitors are required to remove footwear before approaching the memorial. A commemorative ceremony is held every Friday. Prayer sessions are held at the Raj Ghat on Gandhi's birth and death anniversaries. It is a truly wonderful monument to a great man, and was one of the highlights of our 2004 trip to India.

This post is part of Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.