THE HON. DR MIKE KELLY MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support
Monday, 8 February 2010
004/2010
SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING
OF THE AUSTRALIAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR
MEMORIAL IN BALLARAT
The Hon Dr Mike Kelly AM MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support
yesterday attended the sixth anniversary of the opening of the Australian Ex-
Prisoners of War Memorial in Ballarat.
The memorial was opened on 6 February 2004 and annual ceremonies have
been conducted to mark the dedication of the memorial.
“This unique memorial marks the suffering and deprivation of liberty of some
35,000 Australians who were held as prisoners of war during the Boer War,
the two World Wars and the Korean War,” Dr Kelly said.
It is the first memorial outside the Australian Capital Territory to be officially
recognised for its national significance.
“I’m enormously proud that the Rudd Government declared the Australian Ex-
Prisoners of War Memorial a National Memorial in 2008,” Dr Kelly said.
“I would like to recognise the efforts of Catherine King MP, Member for
Ballarat, and the Minister for Veterans Affairs, the Hon Alan Griffin MP, for
their ongoing support of the memorial. I would also like to pay tribute to the
community of Ballarat, which invested so much effort to make the memorial a
reality, including the exhaustive research that went into listing all the names of
the prisoners.”
“The occasion was particularly meaningful for me as my grandfather is among
those listed on the memorial as he was a prisoner on the Burma-Thai railway
and endured enormous suffering and the needless loss of mates.”
“This memorial will serve as a reminder to future generations of the sacrifice
of those Australians who were held as prisoners of war, and I thank the
Ballarat community for its ongoing support of this unique memorial,” Dr Kelly
said.
Media note: Still imagery is available at
Media contacts:
Elyse Gatt (Dr Mike Kelly):
02 6277 4840 or 0437 502 246
Defence Media Liaison:
02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
