Interior Decorations

'The Gallery of Medals'

The first thing that visitors see when they enter the Shrine at ground level is the 'Gallery of Medals'.

4000 medals mounted on the wall 5 high by 800 wide form an impressive 40 metre long, splash of colour. Each medal represents 100 Victorians who have served in military and peacekeeping operations and six who lost their lives.

There are 22 different medals in all and each of the 4000 have been painstakingly positioned in a diagonal pattern by hand in what could only be described as a labour of love.

Amongst the 4000 medals, however, there have been mistakes made. Some of the medals have been placed on the wall the wrong way around and one is the wrong medal completely!

Here is a list of the faults :

First section - 25th column, top medal - Wrong way around.

Second section - 70th column, 2nd medal up - Wrong medal.

- 96th column, 3rd medal up - Wrong way around.

- 143rd column, 4th medal up - Wrong way around.

Third section - 44th column, bottom medal - Ribbon too short.

- 99th column, 2nd medal up - Wrong way around.

- 153rd column, 3rd medal up - Bad casting.

If you visit and find any other mistakes please let me know. :)

ANZAC DAY - Fizzer?!

ANZAC day is fast approaching and this year it could be the worst one yet!

The ANZAC day commemoration council has created some new rules this year which may signal the end of ANZAC day as we know it! The council contains members from the RSL, the Victorian State Government, Legacy and the armed forces.

They have made the following recommendations regarding this years march:

1. Only one descendant can march in place of a dead serviceman.
2. No photographs of loved ones can be carried or displayed.
3. No Orange arm-bands can be worn by disgruntled veterans showing their disgust of their treatment by the Department of Veterans Affairs , regarding compensation claims and the like.

Somewhat suprisingly, another debate has arisen with the suggestion that past enemies, ie Germans and Japanese, should be allowed to march!

Some critics think that these things combined may result in reduced numbers attending this years march. If so, and public interest wanes, then the future of ANZAC day marches must surely be in question!!

http://www.dva.gov.au/commem/anzac/ceremony/aust2006.htm
'Lest we forget'

Japanese Translation Error

The Shrine of Remembrance has a unique feature called
"The Ray of Light".

At 11 o'clock on Remembrance day ( 11th November ) a ray of sunlight shines through a hole in the roof of the Shrine and onto the 'Stone of Remembrance' which is in the 'Sanctuary'. At exactly eleven o'clock the ray illuminates the word 'Love' which is part of an inscription on the stone.

When a Japanese tourist was being told of this feature by a volunteer guide, he suddenly looked suprised as something registered in his head and then, nodding slowly, he said:

"Aaah....that is why they call it the 'Shine of Remembrance'!!"

http://www.diggerhistory.info/images/memorials/ray-light.jpg

Aaaah Soh!! :)

SHRINE from SPACE

If aliens were hovering over Melbourne looking for a good place to land, they could do a lot worse than the Shrine of Remembrance forecourt.

<-- Here is a satellite image of the Shrine from 'Google Earth'.

http://earth.google.com/

As you can see,... out the front of the Shrine is a large concrete area in the shape of a cross. This is the Second World War Memorial and would be an ideal place to land a spaceship, it includes the three flag poles to the East, the 'Cenotapth' to the West and the 'Eternal Flame' which is next to the 'Cenotapth'. The flagpoles and 'Cenotapth' are clearly visible in this image.

The 'Eternal Flame' is about the size of a fullstop just to the East of the 'Cenotapth'.

If their spaceship ran on natural gas, the aliens could land and fill-up here. The 'Eternal Flame' is fuelled by gas from the gas main in St Kilda Road.

If you have 'Google Earth' installed on your computer, go to Melbourne and see if you can find the Shrine!

AXEMAN sighted in Shrine Reserve

A source has told me that the other day, late in the evening, an aboriginal man was found roaming the Shrine of Remembrance reserve armed with an axe! - When questioned by Police, he stated that he was a member of "The Black GST" looking for firewood.

http://www.kooriweb.org/gst/

Members of this group are camped near to the Shrine in the King's Domain gardens. They have claimed that the area is an ancient burial site and are refusing requests to move. They have a fire which they insist must be kept alight and which they hope will become a tourist attraction! -

Locals are calling the site an eyesore and want them moved on!

It may be a coincidence but later that night, the Shrine's 'Eternal Flame' was extinguished by someone smashing a bottle of VB beer onto it. Sources believe it was payback for not allowing the gathering of firewood from this 'White-mans' sacred site!!

Ghost Haunts Shrine !?

The Shrine of Remembrance is Haunted! - So say some of the 'Custodians' that work there all year 'round.

It has been said, that after hours, when the Shrine is closed to the public, haunting footsteps have been heard to pace around the 'Stone of Remembrance' inside the 'Sanctuary'. Some custodians have been visibly shaken by the experience!

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/9/9d/250px-Center_war_memorial.jpg

Who is this lost soul, a spirit from the past?

High on the walls of the 'Sanctuary' are sandstone relief carvings which depict men in battle. During the day one of the figures stands out from the rest and glows an eerie white. It has been said that this carving is of a soldier who fell in battle and now walks within the Shrine waiting for the day that peace reigns throughout the world.