Australian–American Memorial

In 1948 the Australian-American Association proposed "to establish a Memorial in Canberra in the form of a monument or statue, to perpetuate the services and sacrifices of the United States forces in Australia and to symbolise Australian-American comradeship in arms".^[1] After an appeal for finances by then Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Robert Menzies, the Australian people subscribed more than the eventual cost of £100,000, then a vast sum of money for such a public memorial (equivalent to $13,840,000 in 2022), indicating the gratitude of the nation.^{[citation needed]} Additional memorials were constructed in Brisbane and Adelaide that used the surplus funds.^{[citation needed]}

A committee, which included Richard Casey (then Minister for External Affairs and a former Australian Ambassador to the United States) and Sir Keith Murdoch, was formed to examine designs for the monument.^[2] Sydney architect and World War 2 veteran, Richard M. Ure won the design following a nationwide competition. Work commenced in December 1952 and took just over a year.^{[citation needed]}

As Vice President of the United States, Richard Nixon visited the site in the early stages of construction.^{[citation needed]} It was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 February 1954.^{[citation needed]} Among subsequent inspections by dignitaries, the completed memorial was viewed in October 1966 by President Johnson, during the first official tour of Australia by a sitting U.S. president.^{[citation needed]}

The memorial is a hollow, octagonal, tapered column with a steel framework sheeted with aluminium panels that were sandblasted to give the appearance of stone. Two murals feature at the base, one relating the story of American combat in the Pacific and the other a profile map of the United States in copper. The column is surrounded by a water-filled moat about 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide. Under the dedication is a bronze wreath, carved by Walter Langcake, where floral wreaths are often laid on official commemorations. The column is topped with a bronze sphere surmounted by a stylised figure of the American eagle by the distinguished sculptor and Royal Navy veteran, Paul Beadle. The Memorial's height is 79 metres (259 ft); the eagle and sphere are together around 11 metres (36 ft) high and weigh 3.5 tons.^{[citation needed]}

The memorial is familiarly known as "Bugs Bunny",^[3][4] "Phallus in Blunderland" or the "Chicken on a Stick".^[5]

It was built at Russell Hill on the extended line of Kings Avenue, near one of the three nodes of the Parliamentary Triangle. Russell Offices has since been developed around the memorial, as the headquarters of the Australian Defence Force and the Department of Defence, with the immediate surrounds called Blamey Square after Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey.^{[citation needed]}

The memorial underwent a major restoration in 2014, after which a new plaque at its base was unveiled.^[4]

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  Original model of the Australian–American Memorial in 1953
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  Eagle and sphere Australian–American Memorial at Russell Hill, 15 September 1953
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  Official unveiling of the Australian–American Memorial on 16 February 1954
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  Inscription marking the unveiling of the monument
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  Detail of eagle
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  Rear of the eagle
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  View from below
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  From the base of the memorial looking west along Kings Avenue towards the New Parliament House.

• Australia–United States relations
• Pacific War