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Message from the Prime Minister

The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial will recognise the noble contribution Australians have made to international peacekeeping over the last 60 years. It will stand as a testament to the enduring sacrifices made by our peacekeepers and their families as they are called upon to aid nations and people in need.

Since its participation in the United Nation’s first peacekeeping mission in Indonesia in 1947, Australia peacekeepers have demonstrated their courage and professionalism in some of the world’s most remote and dangerous places. Their selfless commitment to creating and maintaining the conditions necessary for peace is a telling example of the egalitarian spirit on which this country prides itself.

I anticipate that this memorial will appropriately showcase the ongoing efforts and achievements of Australian peacekeepers as they contribute, in their own important way, to international peace and stability.

John Howard

Introduction

Australia’s excellent history of peacekeeping around the world is to be commemorated and celebrated in a new memorial in the national capital. Australia has been involved in peacekeeping since the earliest UN efforts in 1947 in the Balkans and in Indonesia. When ADF personnel joined the UN Consular Commission seeking to end fighting between Dutch and Indonesian Nationalists forces in September of that year, they became the world’s first deployed military peacekeepers.

Since then more than 30,000 Australians have served alongside regional partners and in multinational operations to restore order and maintain the peace. ADF personnel, Federal, State and Territory police officers and representatives of government agencies have served with courage and valour. The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial will be fittingly designed and developed to honour their dedication.

Competition Sponsor - The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project Committee

The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project (APMP) Committee has been formed to oversee the design, fundraising, construction and completion of an Australian Peacekeeping Memorial. The APMP Committee is comprised of over a dozen people who represent the Defence Forces, Police Forces, Government Departments and Ex-Service Organisations, who are elected or appointed to their positions according to the APMP Committee Constitution.

More information about the APMP Committee is available at the APMP’s web site: www.peacekeepingmemorial.org.au

Competition Organiser - National Capital Authority

The National Capital Authority (NCA) manages the Australian Government’s continuing interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the Australian National Capital. The NCA is established under the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988. The Act is administered by the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, the Hon. Jim Lloyd MP.

The NCA enhances the symbolic role of the capital through the establishment of public commemorative sites and works including sculptures, memorials, parks, gardens, tree plantings and fountains.

To learn more about the NCA, refer to the NCA’s web site:  www.nationalcapital.gov.au