The Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial sculpture establishes a permanent place in Melbourne to bring together and commemorate the shared history, sacrifice, friendship and future of two nations.

Set in the leafy gardens of the King’s Domain, near Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, the Memorial will, over the years, become a focus for commemorative services and personal connection and reflection.

The Gallipoli Campaign, the most famous of all Australian engagements in the First World War, began on 25 April 1915 and concluded on 8 January 1916 and involved not only Australia, Turkey and New Zealand but, in fact, up to forty of what we know today as independent countries.  Between those same dates one hundred years on, Victorians of all backgrounds, especially those with direct links to the Gallipoli Campaign, are invited to place the Memorial at the centre of their remembrance by conducting personal services of commemoration.

Families are encouraged to come together to conduct their own commemorative services to honour family members or loved ones on a day especially relevant to them. It may be a personal or family date, the centenary of a departure or a landing, or the date of a particular battle, wounding or tragedy. In keeping with tradition, the quietness and dignity of dawn provides an  ideal setting in which to remember those who served and those who fell. We encourage you to share your World War One story with us.