The Afghanistan Avenue of Honour in Yungaburra is a living memorial dedicated to the memory of all who served in the fight against terror in Afghanistan and to those brave and selfless Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of freedom and liberty.
The Avenue follows the path of fallen Commando Ben Chuck’s Gun Carriage, July 1st 2010, and symbolises the ‘final journey home’ of the Fallen and preserves forever the gratitude and respect the nation bestows on all those to whom we owe a debt… that can never be repaid.
The Avenue comprises of three main elements. These include:
- The entrance and pathway to the central Monument
- The Memorial and The Honour Board
- The journey home leading from the Memorial.
A plaque representing each one of the 42 fallen soldiers (40 killed in action plus one training casualty and one non-combat related death) from the Afghanistan Campaign is present on the Honour Board adjacent to the Memorial. The centrepiece of the Memorial is a cairn of stones sourced from Afghanistan surmounted by a pair of sculptured wings in full flight depicting the contributions made by all services and symbolizing the undaunted spirit of the Australian Digger. The Avenue has all night lighting with the Honour Board and Monument bathed in blue light.
A series of plaques distributed throughout the Avenue feature service commendations from Military Commanders, Five VC Award Recipients, references to major engagements fought, the role of Explosive Detection Dogs, and literary contributions from community members.
