Statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Albany Western Australia
In 1997, the Turkish Australian Culture House Inc. initiated a project to erect a memorial to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Albany, Western Australia. The project spanned five years from 1997 to 2002, when the life-sized statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was officially unveiled on the 1st of November, overlooking "Ataturk's Channel," also known as "Ataturk's Entrance", the waterway between King George Sound and the Port of Albany.
The memorial was commissioned by the Turkish Australian Culture House Inc. and designed by Burhan Alkar. It was officially opened by Federal Minister Wilson Tuckey and the Turkish Ambassador Tansu Okandan. The ceremony was attended by the Turkish Consul General Dr. Cahit Yesertener and the TACH President Dr. Halit Eren and over a hundred Turkish community members.
The total cost of the project was $140,000, with land and landscaping provided by the City of Albany, and the monument, statue and plaque, funded by the Republic of Turkey. The project spanned five years from 1997 to 2002.
On the 25 of April 2003 (ANZAC Day), a ceremony was held in Albany, to celebrate the sister-cityship of Albany and Gallipoli. In attendance was the Mayor of Gallipoli, Cihat Bingol, and Lord Mayor of Albany Alison Goode.
Access to the memorial is from the Middleton Beach Ellen Cove Boardwalk. If you have photos you would like to include in the gallery below, please email them to info@tach.net.au.
