Daylight Saving Dilemma

With 'Daylight saving' fast approaching ( Last Sunday in October ) it is worth mentioning how this "Putting the clocks forward" affects the Shrine.

The Shrine of Remembrance has a rather unique feature about it. On Remembrance day ( 11th of November ) at precisely 11 o'clock, the suns rays find their way through an aperture in the roof and a beam of light illuminates the 'Stone of Remembrance'.

It took Dr Baldwin, the Government Astronomer, 144 pages of astronomical and mathematical calculations to ensure the precision of the Ray of Light. Baldwin calculated that the ray will continue to fall upon the centre of the stone, within two minutes of 11am on Remembrance Day, for at least the next 5,000 years!

The accuracy of the calculations was first tested at 11am on Armistice Day in 1931, when, to the relief of the surveyors, the ray of sunlight fell upon a mortar-board placed where the Stone of Remembrance was soon to be laid.

Little did 'Baldwin' know, that, in 1971 'Daylight saving' was to be introduced to Australia. After it was introduced , suddenly the Ray of Light did not work as it was meant to! Instead of passing over the stone at 11 o'clock, it now didn't appear until 12 noon!!

How must he have felt! -
All his calculations now amounted to nothing!


For the first four years following the introduction of daylight savings in 1971, a spotlight beam was used. However, this remedy was considered unsatisfactory.

Fortunately Frank Doolan, the surveyor who had worked on the Ray of Light during the construction of the Shrine, was eager to assist and came up with a satisfactory method to return sunlight to the stone at 11am on Remembrance Day.

To ensure that the ray falls upon the stone at 11am, a mirror on the upper terrace is positioned to reflect the ray onto a second mirror in the aperture of the outer wall, which then directs the ray into the inner aperture and onto the Stone. This allows natural sunlight to cross the stone.

Without the mirrors in place, the Ray of Light crosses the stone at midday (daylight savings time) on the 11th November. Following the 11am service, the mirror is removed and members of the public are welcome to witness the sunlight cross the stone at midday.

The funny thing is that at eleven o'clock various dignitaries and high ranking individuals gather in the 'Sanctuary' to witness the event. What many of them do not know is that they are seeing a reflection of the sunlight and not the real thing!

One hour later, after all the pomp and ceremony has finished, the real event occurs in all it's glory and is witnessed by ordinary folk who have had to wait outside during the 'official ceremony'!!