The tranquillity and beauty in remembering…
Possibly Brisbane’s most arresting and tranquil open space is ANZAC Square. Like many other beautiful public spaces in Australia, it is dedicated to remembering the horror and human cost of war.
The numbers of loss are staggering.
When guests on our Brisbane at War walk end their tour at ANZAC Square, the feature that triggers the most staggering response is the bronze metal lettering running down both sides of the square. The lettering lists the 2,075 towns and suburbs in Queensland from which young men and women enlisted in the two World Wars. The visual representation of such commitment and loss across every corner of this city and state is very sobering.
All over the Commonwealth, and around Brisbane at ANZAC Square, RSL Clubs and other key locations, Armistice Day on the 11th of November (which signified the end of World War One) is commemorated. It is called Remembrance Day and honours all who have fallen in wars since 1914.
“On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month…”
Women, conscription and controversy.
Back in ANZAC Square, we show the most unexpected of memorials; the Women’s Memorial is carved into the sandstone wall beside the stairs leading up to the eternal flame. This memorial was erected by the Women of Queensland in 1932, in dedication to the men and women who lost their lives through service in The Great War. The sculpture was designed and created by the renowned Brisbane sculptor Daphne Mayo, who worked on the tablet at Anzac Square, including long hours onsite chiselling the figures into the sandstone wall.
Daphne Mayo’s other works include the now somewhat controversial Brisbane City Hall tympanum (or frieze) from 1930. The tympanum represents a relief of early settlement entitled "The progress of civilisation in the State of Queensland".
Brisbane has Daphne to thank for the beginnings and survival of the Queensland Art Gallery: she lobbied successfully on numerous occasions for funding for the fledgling gallery. The very dignified Statue of Sir William Glasgow on Post Office Square, that overlooks ANZAC Square with a very stern eye was also created by Daphne Mayo some 30 years later.
At the dawn of World War One, Australia had a population of only five million, and yet we contributed a volunteer Australian Imperial Force (AIF) of 416,000. The sacrifice of so many families losing their loved ones is on a scale that is hard to imagine.
Our Queensland Parliament and the original Printery building both became the epicentre of the Australian population’s disquiet about, and resistance to, conscription for this war. A very controversial episode played out on 26 November 1917 when Queensland’s then Premier TJ Ryan, along with female civilians, actively opposed conscription.
Coincidentally, 25 years later to the day, on 26th - 27th November (Thanksgiving) 1942, extraordinary events unfolded right here in Brisbane between otherwise allies of World War Two. It is a poignant moment to remember the story of our wartime relationship with the US as, even right now, our two leaders negotiate the future of the friendship through AUKUS and other initiatives.
Learn of these incredible moments in our history, and what it can tell us about what it means to be a Brisbanite on our Brisbane at War walk.
For the month of November, all Brisbane at War walk guests will receive a Remembrance Day red poppy pin to place on the bronze metal wall at ANZAC Square
We will also be offering a special, 4pm Brisbane at War walk on Remembrance Day 11 November 2025.
Queensland State Remembrance Day Service:
- WHEN: 11th November 2025, 10:15am - 11:30am
- WHERE: ANZAC Square, Brisbane