First look at new Sydney war memorial for veterans of Middle Eastern conflicts
Diggers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan will finally have their own memorial built in Sydney CBD’s Domain by the end of next year, with the Minns government to unveil their new four-year Veterans Strategy in the lead up to Anzac Day.
NSW
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Diggers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan will finally have their own memorial built in Sydney CBD’s Domain by the end of next year.
The Daily Telegraph has been given a first look at the designs for the new memorial, unveiled in the lead up to Anzac day later this month.
The circular “contemplative” space, to be built near the Art Gallery of NSW, will be the first significant memorial to veterans of contemporary Middle Eastern conflicts in the state and will honour those who served in the Australian Defence Force from 1990 onwards.
The construction of the new memorial makes good on a pre-election promise of Premier Chris Minns, who first floated the idea in April 2022.
The memorial, designed by architect Billy Maynard and Sydney-based artist Khadim Ali, aims to create a reflective space consisting of two crescents. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
It comes as the Minns government prepares to announce its new four-year action plan to support veterans in the community this week. The new NSW Veterans Strategy 2025-2030 will be announced on Tuesday after the previous plan set out by the Berejiklian government lapsed in July last year.
As a result, for nearly 10 months the state has had no active strategy to support veterans.
It can be revealed part of the new strategy will involve a dedicated research project focused on women veterans.
The project, which will be launched in the coming weeks alongside RSL NSW and Monash University will explore how veteran wellbeing services can better cater to the needs of women veterans.
Mr Minns said establishing the new memorial sent a message to veterans of contemporary wars that they were valued for their service.
“The design encourages people to pause and to reflect, for members of the defence community and the wider public,” he said.
“This will be a place for their service to be honoured by the NSW community for generations to come.”
Afghanistan veteran and RSL NSW president Mick Bainbridge said the memorial was essential to ensure the sacrifices of those who had served their country in wars in the Middle East were not forgotten.
“This memorial is not just about the past - it’s about honouring the continuing journey of our veterans and their families,” he said.
“As time passes, it becomes even more important to ensure the stories of service and sacrifice in the Middle East are not forgotten.
“It ensures future generations understand the cost of our freedoms.”
Veterans Minister David Harris said the memorial would offer “a contemplative space” for almost 130,000 veterans living in NSW and their families.
“They have served our country with distinction but have also felt enormous loss as a result of these conflicts,” he said.
“Many continue to wear this burden long after they departed their various areas of operation.”
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