The ACT Bushfire Memorial is located in University of Canberra Stromlo Forest Park (UC Stromlo) and commissioned by the ACT Government to acknowledge the impact of the 2003 bushfires, to mark the process of recovery, and to thank the many organisations and individuals who played crucial roles in the firefighting and recovery efforts.
The Memorial was designed by Canberra artists Tess Horwitz, Tony Steel and Martyn Jolly, with significant advice and input from the Canberra community. The Chief Minister and Minister for Arts, Heritage and Indigenous Affairs, Jon Stanhope dedicated the ACT Bushfire Memorial on Wednesday 18 January 2006, the third anniversary of the day when the fires reached the national capital and its outlying settlements with such devastating effects.
Directions to ACT Bushfire Memorial
The ACT Bushfire Memorial is near the intersection of Cotter and Swallowtail Roads. Take Swallowtail Road at this intersection for about 100 metres and turn left into a small carpark at UC Stromlo. It is located a short 20 metre walk from the car park.
Brief History of the ACT Bushfire Memorial
On Saturday 18 January 2003, the bushfires which had been burning in the hills to the west and south-west of Canberra for more than a week, reached the perimeter of the city. Four people lost their lives, nearly five hundred homes were destroyed, countless pets and other animals were killed, and there was widespread damage to rural properties, parks, forests, gardens and urban infrastructure.
Soon after the January 2003 bushfires, the ACT Government decided to commission a bushfire memorial to acknowledge the impact of the fires, mark the process of recovery, and thank the many organisations and individuals who played crucial roles in the firefighting and recovery efforts.
During an extensive community consultation, ACT residents were asked whether they wanted a memorial and, if so, what should the memorial convey and where should it be located.
The community endorsed the concept of the memorial, and indicated that the memorial should:
- be a simple natural and beautiful place which encourages a sense of peace and reflection
- be inclusive and accessible to the whole community
- be enduring and have the capacity to grow over time
- enable the community to participate by contributing objects with personal meaning.
The physical elements people wanted to see in the memorial included trees, water, a place to sit, bricks, other contributions with personal meaning, and features which indicated the scope of the bushfires in some way. The community also wanted the memorial to be located in a place that would tie in with restoration of the fire-affected areas, be accessible and visible, and include a hub which could provide a ceremonial focus.
Three local artists, Tess Horwitz, Tony Steel and Martyn Jolly, were commissioned to create the Bushfire Memorial in response to the community’s requests. Over two weekends in April and May 2005, the artists invited people from the Canberra region to provide contributions for the Memorial. They received more than 500 images from 80 families and individuals, and more than 160 people provided inscriptions to be used on bricks for the curved entry wall to the Memorial.
The Bushfire Memorial takes us on a journey from the day of the fire, through the process of recovery, to the honouring of memory:
- The entrance walls are constructed with the community’s salvaged and inscribed bricks which contain messages of grief and gratitude.
- Beyond the walls, a site framed by a grove of casuarinas contains red glass and metal forms that refer to the force of the firestorm and to the lightning strikes that sparked the main fires.
- Moving from the remembrance of the fires, an avenue leads to an amphitheatre enclosing a pond and bubbling spring.
- The glass columns bordering the pond contain details from photos provided by the community which speak of memory and human resilience.
- The design of the surrounding landscape and the stream are an integral part of the Memorial. Most of the plant species selected by the artists are native, many of which are indigenous to this area. The selection was made taking into consideration the plants’ combined effect when they reach maturity and prevailing weather conditions at the site.