Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial

Memorial Corner, Roma Street Parkland (Corner of Wickham Terrace and Parkland Blvd)
Brisbane QLD 4000

The Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial commemorates the men and women of the Netherlands who joined in the defence of Australia from 1941 to 1945 during World War II.

The memorial is comprised of five distinct elements - main façade, two recessed facades and two seats.

These elements represent: The Royal Netherlands Navy and Naval Air Service, The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, The Netherlands Merchant Navy, and The civilian population of the Dutch East Indies, which are also represented by five small plaques on the front of the main façade (a sixth small plaque shows the escutcheon of the coat of arms of the Netherlands).

There is a plaque on the recessed left façade; plus three dedication plaques (two are from the former site of the memorial) are attached to the right hand side of the main façade.

A key objective of the design was to create a simple and elegant memorial through the choice of a neutral/natural colour palette, rounded ‘soft’ edges and concealed fixings. Also important is the height of the main wall which provides some enclosure whilst also promoting and embracing the parkland setting beyond. The tapered ends of the wall and seats create a gentle transition to the ground and represent our ‘coming from the earth’ and ‘returning to the earth’. The capping continues along the top of the main wall as well as the seats to unify the elements of the memorial.

Project Owner - Department of State Development
Project Management - Department of Housing and Public Works
Designer - O2 Landscape Architecture
Builder - Bamm Building and Construction
Stonemason - Classical Stone Australia

Inscription

Plaque on recessed left façade:

THIS MEMORIAL RECOGNISES THOSE MEN AND WOMEN FROM THE NETHERLANDS AND THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES WHO JOINED THE PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA IN THE DEFENCE OF THEIR COUNTRY IN THE YEARS 1941-1945

Top plaque, right hand side of the main façade:

This plaque commemorates the dedication of the Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial
on Friday 3 November 2017
This memorial was originally located in Queen’s Place, Brisbane and relocated to Roma Street Parkland

Middle plaque, right hand side of the main façade:

The Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial was officially opened on
4 May 2004
The Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association thank the Queensland Government, the Netherlands Government and the people of Brisbane for their support in placing this monument.

Bottom plaque, right hand side of the main façade:

The Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial was officially unveiled by
The Honourable Robert Schwarten MP Minister for Public Works, Housing and Racing
And
Dr Hans Sondaal
Ambassador for the Netherlands
On
4 May 2004

Conflicts commemorated

Second World War, 1939–1945

Memorial type

Structure

Additional information

The memorial was originally located at Queen’s Place (corner Alice and George Streets, Brisbane), where it was dedicated on 4 May 2004.

It was relocated due to the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Integrated Resort Development, and on Friday 3 November 2017 was re-dedicated at Memorial Corner in Roma Street Parkland.

Recorded by

Matt Smith, QLD War Memorial Register, updated by Liz Clinton, Department of State Development, 7 November 2017

Date recorded

6 November 2009

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Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies Memorial

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