Australians can now see a first glimpse of the Sir John Monash Centre and what to expect when its doors are opened ahead of Anzac Day 2018.
The winning design for the Western Front interpretive centre was unveiled today at the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France at a ceremony where the Mayor of Villers-Bretonneux was also honoured.
The new Centre, designed by Cox Architecture, will provide a leading-edge integrated multimedia experience.
The Centre will tell the story of the extraordinary efforts of the 290,000 Australians who served on the Western Front with such distinction. It will offer an evocative and educational experience for visitors of all nationalities and will honour Australian service and sacrifice in France and Belgium during the First World War.
The Centre will educate a new audience about Australia’s significant role on the Western Front and provide a lasting international legacy from the Centenary of Anzac.
Sir John Monash was the engineering genius and citizen soldier whose leadership broke the stalemate on the Western Front in 1918.
An innovative tactician and meticulous planner, Monash’s July 2018 victory at Le Hamel became the template for the much larger combined arms operations that followed.
The Sir John Monash Centre will be located behind the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux.
The Mayor of Villers-Bretonneux, Dr Patrick Simon, was invested as an Honorary Officer in the Order of Australia “for service to Australian-French relations, particularly his contribution to preserving the memory of Australian World War I veterans”.
Dr Simon has strengthened the extraordinary relationship between Australia and Villers-Bretonneux, which began with the liberation of the town by Australian troops in a daring attack on Anzac Day 1918.
Imagery of the Sir John Monash Centre can be found at the DVAAus Flickr and the DVAAus Youtube channel.
26 April 2015