Royal Australian Air Force Memorial CairnPrint Page 
The memorial cairn commemorates the service of the men and women of the Royal Australian Air Force (R.A.A.F.) in war and peace and those who have served in the AFC, WAAF and WRAAF.
In 1952, five sites on the Federal Highway near Canberra were selected by the Canberra Remembrance Driveway Auxiliary, comprising community and ex-service organisations, to be part of the proposed Remembrance Driveway from Sydney to Canberra. Three sites near the junction with Majura Road were assigned for the Army, Navy and Air Force. The memorial cairn was commenced in the 1960s with plans for it to become the centrepiece in the Memorial Grove.
The memorial cairn was not completed until 1980. An ex-R.A.A.F. member tradesman stonemason George Kerridge dedicated his time and skills voluntarily to design the cairn and to bring out the qualities of the sandstone.
Two bottles inside the cairn contain a record of the construction - a lay person's time capsule. One contains the names of all those who laboured so hard to bring the project to fruition, the other holds the names of Harry Stenborg and Kerridge. They were the last two to work on the cairn and put their own "time capsule" inside before the top was sealed and the job considered finished as far as the base was concerned. To complete the task, an aluminium cross was later erected on top using a helicopter and with assistance of air force personnel from R.A.A.F. Base Fairbairn.
The monument was rededicated in 2003.
Location
| Address: | Federal Highway, RAAF Memorial Grove, Majura, 2609 |
|---|---|
| State: | ACT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.211571 Long: 149.190164 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | Multiple |
| Designer: | George Kerridge (Cairn) |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 20th July, 1980 |
|---|
Plaque :
Air Force Association
Canberra Branch
Per Ardua - Ad Astra
We Remember Them
Plaque :
This memorial commemorates the service and committment
of the men and women of the Royal Australian Air Force
to the people of Australia in times of war and peace.
Constructed in the 1960s by RAAF veterans
the memorial forms part of the Remembrance Driveway.
First dedicated on 20 July 1980 by Chaplain J.G. (Jack) Leonard AM.
The memorial was rededicated on 22 February 2003 by
Principal Air Chaplain Royce Thompson in the presence of
the Minister for Veterans` Affairs tHon Danna Vale and
the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Angus Houston AM AFC
"Lest We Forget"
RAAF Association - ACT Division
