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Commencement ColumnPrint Page 
The monument commemorates the foundation and naming of Canberra. A ceremony to mark its relocation was held on the 12th March 1988.
The Commencement Column monument consists of the three foundation stones for the intended column which were laid down at a ceremony on 12 March 1913 to designate the official foundation of the national capital and its naming as Canberra.
Inaugurating the federal capital at Canberra, the laying of the foundation stones for the column marked the realisation of Section 125 of the Australian Constitution. This required the federal seat of government to be situated within the state of NSW, but located not less than 100 miles from Sydney. The original location of the monument was excavated when the new Parliament House was constructed on the Hill. After the opening of the new Parliament House, the Commencement stones were relocated to their current position, in the Federal Mall on Capital Hill.
A ceremony to mark the relocation of Canberra's commencement column will be held tomorrow 75 years to the day since the foundation stones were laid and the city was named. On March 12, 1913, the monument to commemorate the founding and naming of Canberra as the national capital was laid on Capital Hill. The monument is sometimes referred to as the Commemoration Stone.
Foundation stones were laid by the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher, and the Minister for State and Home Affairs, King O`Malley. Lady Denman then offically named the city Canberra,
The monument was designed to have a 27 foot high column to signify the Commonwealth, to be mounted on a hexagonal base made of six granite blocks, one from each of the states. Although the colomn was never constructed, the base containg the three foundation stones was a feature of Capital Hill.
The Canberra Times (ACT), 11 March 1988.
Location
| Address: | Federation Mall , Capital Hill, 2600 |
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| State: | ACT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.305914 Long: 149.126455 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 13th March, 1913 |
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This stone was laid by the Right Honourable Andrew Fisher, P.C., M.P Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia on the 12th March 1913.
Plaque :
This plaque was unveiled by the Honourable R. J. L. Hawke, A.C., M.P. Prime Minister on 12 March 1988 to commemorate the relocation of this monument
This stone was laid by the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Denman, P.C., C.C.M.G., K.C.V.O. Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth of Australia on the 12th March 1913.
Plaque :
This plaque was unveiled by His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Ninian Stephen A.K., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., K. B.E.
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 12 March 1988 to commemorate the relocation of this monument
This stone was laid by the Honourable King O`Malley M.P. Minister of State for Home affairs on the 12th March 1913.
Plaque :
This plaque was unveiled by the Honourable Gary Punch, M.P. Minister for the Arts and Territories on 12 March 1988 to commemorate the relocation of this monument
