History of the Armistice Centenary War Memorial Part 1

Armistice Centenary War Memorial

Location

The Armistice Centenary War Memorial is located just inside the main Memorial Gate entrance to the Belmont Shooting Complex on Old Cleveland Road – it is situated in a unique bushland setting and provides a peaceful place for public commemoration and private reflection.

Why construct a War Memorial on this site

With the demolition of the Queensland Rifle Association’s indoor shooting range in Spring Hill in the 1970s, a valuable part of the history of the QRA may have been lost forever. Unfortunately, during the building demolition, the wall mounted Honour Boards bearing the names of the 568 Riflemen, who were QRA members, and who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War of 1914-18, disappeared. These honour boards were a significant record of the many young men who came from cities, towns and country communities from all over Queensland to enlist. They did not hesitate to answer the call to serve their country when they were needed most and many had great skills in marksmanship, horsemanship and bush craft.

In recent years a small group of current members of the QRA saw the need to perpetuate their memory, and thus the idea of the war memorial was conceived. In 2017, Mr Johnno Johnstone OAM, a former President of the QRA, suggested that a new War Memorial should be constructed at the Belmont Shooting Complex, and completed by November 2018 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice ending The Great War of 1914-1918.

The Commemorations Committee

A small Commemorations Committee was formed in 2017 as a sub-committee of the QRA Board, with Johnno Johnstone as the Chair, and Richard Kenny OAM as Secretary and Project Manager. 

The original objective of the Committee was to construct a new War Memorial to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the Great War of 1914-18, and to complete the Memorial in time to commemorate the Centenary of the Armistice. Hence the name ACWM.

As the project progressed additional members with relevant expertise joined the Commemorations Committee.

Whilst the committee is tasked by the QRA Board with managing the development of commemorative sites within the Complex, it acts on behalf of all shooting clubs and associations operating within the Belmont Shooting Complex, and moreover, the broader Australian community. The committee has necessarily expanded to include community members and others with a wide range of expertise.

Project Funding

The timing of the initial memorial project coincided with the availability of grant funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, under the “Saluting Their Service” grants, for projects designed to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. A grant application was submitted and the Committee was successful in obtaining their initial grant funding from DVA. Along with additional financial support from the Belmont Shooting Complex Site Users’ Association (BSUA), the QRA Board, the QRA Museum Committee and private donations, that allowed the first stage of the memorial construction to begin.