Aus. War Memorial unveils sculpture honouring veterans

A sculpture commemorating the emotional burden of war and conflict was officially unveiled at the Australian War Memorial today.

Transcript

00:00 The Governor General, Chief of Defence Force, veterans and their families gathered here

00:06 today for the dedication of the sculpture.

00:08 Emotional veterans walked among the droplets making up the sculpture, designed to be touched,

00:13 to be tactile and to represent the trauma of war.

00:16 The War Memorial consulted with service men and women and their families on the design

00:20 of the sculpture, a departure from the heroic forms and army materiel the memorial is known

00:25 for.

00:26 The more subtle work, representing a modern day condition of service, the visible and

00:31 invisible scars.

00:33 Those who have served and carry not only packs, but anguish, trauma, incessant nightmares,

00:41 panic attacks, anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, labelled for unseen

00:49 injuries when left untreated, they can spread like cancer, consuming the mind, tearing apart

00:55 relationships and destroying lives.

00:59 The Queensland Pearl Marble was chosen for its individuality and inconsistencies, an

01:04 echo of the varied yet shared experience of war.

01:08 The sculpture is now on display here at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

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