Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial

The Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial commemorates the men and women of the Netherlands who joined in the defence of Australia from 1941 to 1945 during World War II.

The memorial is comprised of five distinct elements - main façade, two recessed facades and two seats.

These elements represent: The Royal Netherlands Navy and Naval Air Service, The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, The Netherlands Merchant Navy, and The civilian population of the Dutch East Indies, which are also represented by five small plaques on the front of the main façade (a sixth small plaque shows the escutcheon of the coat of arms of the Netherlands).

There is a plaque on the recessed left façade; plus three dedication plaques (two are from the former site of the memorial) are attached to the right hand side of the main façade.

A key objective of the design was to create a simple and elegant memorial through the choice of a neutral/natural colour palette, rounded ‘soft’ edges and concealed fixings. Also important is the height of the main wall which provides some enclosure whilst also promoting and embracing the parkland setting beyond. The tapered ends of the wall and seats create a gentle transition to the ground and represent our ‘coming from the earth’ and ‘returning to the earth’. The capping continues along the top of the main wall as well as the seats to unify the elements of the memorial.

• Project Owner - Department of State Development
• Project Management - Department of Housing and Public Works
• Designer - O2 Landscape Architecture
• Builder - Bamm Building and Construction
• Stonemason - Classical Stone Australia