LEST WE FORGET SURENDRA PRASAD OAM

The idea for a memorial to Indian soldiers who served the Australian cause came in 2015. The history about their contributions were being unearthed and it touched a deep chord within me, especially as it went unrecognised.

I started discussions with others in our community about building a memorial, and the support I received was overwhelming.

The Federal member for Moreton, Graham Perrett arranged a meeting with the President of the RSL Sub Branch Sunnybank, Hugh Polson, and we discussed a possible space to house the monument.

A management committee - the Australians of Indian Heritage War Memorial Committee (AIHWMC) - was formed in July 2015. It drew members from different sectors of the Indian community, the RSL sub-branch and politicians from both major parties. Capt Chetan Chandegave, Defence Adviser at the Indian High Commission also offered his support.

Much support also came from a good mate of mine, Lewis Lee OAM, who, as Chairman of the Australians of Chinese Heritage War Memorial Committee (ACHWMC), was instrumental in the installation of a similar Chinese monument a few years ago.

The cost to build our monument was estimated at around $30,000: we raised some of this money ourselves, but very soon the federal government came on board with a $30,000 commitment. We thank Nick Monsour and Ross Vasta MP (Federal member for Bonner), for their efforts in obtaining this grant.

For the monument itself, we requested Griffith University, Gold Coast, to design the memorial. Dr Ruwan Fernando from the Griffith University School of Architecture became directly involved, designing a four-week project with his first year students. A group of 90 students participated in the preliminary design competition. The students were encouraged to research cultural aspects, including art and customs and incorporate this into their model. Eleven students were picked as finalists to develop the design further.

A panel of five judges was appointed to evaluate the design entries. At a gala dinner on 12 November 2016, Bianca Archer’s submission was announced as the winner.

We are very proud to see this project, the first of its kind in Queensland, finally come to fruition, thanks to the joint efforts of the AIHWM committee, RSL Sunnybank, and the staff and students of Griffith University.

Depicting a turban-clad Indian-origin soldier together with a mainstream peer, this monument will serve as a reminder and tribute to all Australians of Indian heritage who served in our armed forces.

Apart from the monument, in memory of the fallen Australian-Indian soldiers, the committee has set up an educational bursary for high school students valued up to $1000 a year. This financial support has gone out to deserving students in the past two years and we hope to continue providing this assistance in coming years as well.