THE Morning Star tapestry
created to hang in the Sir John Monash Centre in
France goes on display at the Shrine of
Remembrance in Melbourne today.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
Michael McCormack said we must always remember
the service and sacrifice of the men and women
who serve in defence of our nation.
“The Morning Star tapestry
commemorates those brave Australians who served
on the battlefields of the First World War,” Mr
McCormack said.
“Their stories and experiences
are as important today as they were one hundred
years ago and must be shared with future
generations.
“It will be an outstanding
feature of the new Sir John Monash Centre.”
Designed by Australian war
artists Lyndell Brown and Charles Green and
created by an extraordinary team of weavers, the
Morning Star tapestry depicts winter dawn
light illuminating a pathway through eucalypt
trees and bush towards sunlight with inset
images of young soldiers departing for war.
Arts Minister Mitch Fifield said
the Morning Star tapestry was an
outstanding work of art that showcases the
Australian Tapestry Workshop as a world leader
in contemporary tapestry creation.
“The work aims to evoke the
experience of arriving at war, and in particular
the Western Front. This significant contemporary
artistic work took more than 4,000 hours to
weave and will promote Australia’s creative
excellence and innovation on a world stage,”
Minister Fifield said.
“The tapestry will provide a
lasting legacy commemorating the 46,000
Australian lives lost in the battles of the
Western Front in the First World War.”
Chief Executive Officer of the
Shrine of Remembrance Dean Lee encouraged
Victorians and all visitors alike to come to the
Shrine to view the unique work of art in the
wider context of commemorative spaces and
extensive exhibitions about Australians in war
and peacekeeping.
The Anzac Centenary Arts and
Culture Fund which is part of the Australian
Government’s Anzac Centenary program, provided
$90,000 for the major work along with a number
of private benefactors including the Tapestry
Foundation of Australia, Australian Hotels
Association, Marjorie M. Kingston Charitable
Trust, Calvert-Jones Family, Anne and Mark
Robertson OAM, Baillieu Myer AC and Sarah Myer,
Yulgilbar Foundation, Chasam Foundation and the
Myer Foundation.
Following the exhibition the
tapestry will leave for France where it will be
permanently displayed in the Sir John Monash
Centre which opens in Villers-Bretonneux, France
in April 2018.
The Sir John Monash Centre is the
most significant legacy project of the Anzac
Centenary Program and is designed to tell the
Australian story of the Western Front
battlefields of the First World War.
Senator Jane Hume said The Sir
John Monash Centre will be an important part of
giving much needed recognition to the Australian
contribution on the Western Front.
“The Centre will assist the
increasing number of Australian and
international visitors to the battlefields of
Europe in better understanding Australia’s
contribution on the Western Front during the
First World War,” Senator Hume said.
“The cutting edge multimedia
Centre gives valuable insight into the
Australian experience on the Western Front
through a series of interactive media
installations and immersive experiences.”
Entry to the Centre is free and
bookings
are strongly encouraged for peak periods around
Anzac Day, the Centenary of the Battle of Hamel
and Remembrance Day 2018.
The tapestry will be exhibited
until Sunday 25 February. For more information
visit the
Sir John Monash
Centre website.
ENDS