Construction, which was completed by Whitcon Pty Ltd, began on 18 August, 2011 with the removal of an old dilapidated war memorial located on Scarborough Crescent Reserve adjacent to the North Bondi RSL Club and North Bondi Italian Food restaurant.

The new war memorial will be officially opened in a formal ceremony held on Sunday, 27 November 2011, at 9:00 a.m.

Valued at over $430,000, the new war memorial was designed by Bryan Bathgate of Curtain Bathgate & Somers Architects and the commissioned sculpture is by De Emmi Creative Solutions.

The sculptural essence of the new memorial is to symbolize the solidarity, unison, courage and spirit of the Australian mateship at war.  The sailor, soldier and airman/woman are represented in a palette of materials:

• Stainless steel blades 300mm width representing the military serviceman /woman of the ADF triservices;
• Concrete curved blocks 150mm width x 300 high representing battlement;
• 20mm x300mm glass inserts to the concrete block between the stainless steel blades representing the spirit and eternal flame presence when lit;
• All collectively arranged from 800mm high to 2400mm and bolted together to create the structural integrity of the sculpture that provides the foundation of the memorial representing strength and unison in numbers.
• The use of aged bronze represents the triservices in the form of the service badges of the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force;
• Three bronze cladded pillars with a montage of iconic images from each Australian Defence Force service.
• War diary excerpts from all wars and conflicts that Australia has been engaged in are located through the memorial sculpture in the form of bronze plaques which provide a narrative and personal experience of the memorial.

Scarborough Crescent Reserve is an active community space at the north end of the world famous Bondi Beach and the concept of a set piece memorial has close parallels with endless town centres in Europe as opposed to a more reserved tradition of the lone memorial set in a scenic but isolated location.

The new war memorial is a substantial improvement to the north end of Bondi Beach. On 16 August, 2011, the Waverley Council at their meeting unanimously voted to excise a portion of the area of Scarborough Crescent Reserve, where the new war memorial now stands, from a uniform public road and apply to the Department of Lands to have the area designated as a war memorial trust and appoint the North Bondi RSL Sub-Branch its custodian.

More photos from the War Memorial

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View photos from the War Memorial Unveiling Ceremony here >

North Bondi War Memorial Opening Ceremony Program

STRONG SENSE OF PRIDE

The League and its 109 members of North Bondi RSL Sub-Branch, which include veterans from WW2 through the present-day wars as well as currently serving active duty Australian Defence Force members, feel a strong sense of pride, privilege and honour that our local leaders within Waverley Council are applying to the Department of Lands to designate the area as an official war memorial trust and appoint the North Bondi RSL Sub-Branch as its custodian.

The significance of officially opening the war memorial on 27 November, 2011 is that it is the 70th anniversary of the end of the Siege of Tobruk.

The North Bondi Sub-Branch of the Returned & Services League of Australia was founded in 1944 by some of the original Rats of Tobruk.

The North Bondi RSL Sub-Branch was founded on 22 March 1944 by some of the original members of the Rats of Tobruk. As such, we have long called our Sub-Branch Tobruk House or otherwise The Rathouse.

During World War II, in 1941 Great Britain had to withdraw most of its forces from Africa to defend Greece. This left Australian diggers with the task of defending the city of Tobruk, which was a stronghold where future attacks could be launched upon German forces.

 
Twice the size of Australian forces, the Germans under the leadership of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, had never before been defeated in any battle.

Australia’s forces, led by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, held off Rommel’s troops for approximately 250 days. Rommel charged Tobruk with tanks but Australian forces attacked the infantry leaving the tanks with no ground support.  Luftwaffe performed bombing raids on Tobruk but instead of Australian diggers fighting back they hid safely in a network of underground tunnels. Thus focusing the task of defending the city against German troops.

After German forces retreated in order to regroup, Australian diggers wasted no time and went on the offensive. Diggers attacked German positions stealing artillery and then used it against the German infantry defending Tobruk.

The Australian Rats of Tobruk were clearly outnumbered but still had the courage and defended Tobruk from German troops despite the city being bombed repeatedly.

In typical Australian dry wit, the diggers gave themselves the name of “Rats of Tobruk” after Radio Berlin’s propaganda describing the Australians as “caught like rats in a trap.”

After the Rats of Tobruk came back from WW II they established the RSL Sub-Branch as Tobruk House in North Bondi with the nickname as The Rathouse. The Rathouse moved to its present location in March 1962 and before then was loacted adjacent to it.

Click HERE to view a list of the Past & Current Office Holders of Sub-Branch from 1944 onward >

Present day Tobruk House - The Rathouse

View of Bondi Beach from The Rathouse