Plan to extend gunners’ memorial

Two 64-pounder cannons stand silently atop Mount Pleasant in Canberra, flanked by stone walls reminiscent of a fortress the cannons were designed to protect.

CAPTION: Royal Australian Artillery Head of Regiment Brigadier Damian Hill and Lieutenant Colonel Matt White, of the Defence Preparedness Branch, at the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery National Memorial on Mt Pleasant in Canberra. Story and photo by Corporal Michael Rogers.

Eight panels mounted along the wall commemorate the wars and campaigns in which Australian gunners, including many who did not return, served from Sudan to south Vietnam.

For nearly 50 years the Royal Australian Artillery National Memorial has stood as a tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of gunner soldiers and officers.

A project is now under way to expand the memorial to include the modern campaigns and operations in which thousands of Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) soldiers have served.

For Head of Regiment Brigadier Damian Hill, the expansion is more personal as it will recognise the service of two generations of his family.

“I’ve served as a gunner for 32 years, and my father was in the RAA as well. His service is only partially captured on the memorial,” he said.

“There are tens of thousands of gunners who’ve served on campaigns and operations since 1977, and this expansion is about bringing them here together.”

The memorial was dedicated on March 9, 1977, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and only covered conflicts up to that date.

The project will expand the memorial to include plaques commemorating Somalia, Timor Leste, Iraq, Afghanistan, peace operations and potentially others, as well as space for future operations.

Leading the endeavour is Lieutenant Colonel Matt White as the project manager, supported by Colonel Charles Weller and Captain Andi Dimmock.

The team will be guided and advised by the RAA’s regimental committee representative Major General (retd) Michael Crane.

The project also benefits from the support of the RAA Historical Company and the Australian Artillery Association, alongside their financial and creative backing.

The project, launched on St Barbara’s Day – December 4 – marks a significant milestone for the team and the entire RAA community.

During the next two years the team will complete the design, secure all necessary approvals, conduct essential marketing and communications activities and raise the capital to fund the memorial extension.

The original memorial was funded almost entirely by donations from the gunner community, but this project will also seek to raise capital from Defence industry, business sector partners and the public.

They will also apply for available public grants.

“We recognise there are Australians out there who’ve never served but their parents, members of their families, or friends have served as gunners. They’re equally part of our regimental family,” Brigadier Hill said.

“We can’t do it by ourselves like our 1970s forebears did. We’ll need a generation that have a connection to the RAA to assist in raising the capital we require to turn this extension into a reality.”

Construction is anticipated to begin in mid-2026, with the goal to complete it by December 2026 for a rededication ceremony in 2027, the memorial’s 50th anniversary year.

Visit www.artilleryhistory.org or www.australianartilleryassociation.org for more information, or follow the Royal Australian Artillery Facebook page for updates.

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