IT IS a memorial to honour those who never returned home from work, and those who did, only to die sometimes decades later as the result of a work-related disease or incident.
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The National Workers Memorial in Kings Park, on the northern shore of Lake Burley Griffin, will be opened on Sunday, International Workers' Memorial Day.
The memorial will be inaugurated with the hope that it becomes a space that is used - a place where people come to gather, think, spend some time.
The memorial is set among the blue gums of Kings Park.
The $3 million project was funded by the federal government and managed by the National Capital Authority. It pays tribute to Australians who have died as a result of work-related accidents, incidents or disease.
Forty-six Australians have been killed at work so far this year, according to Safe Work Australia. Last year 192 people lost their lives at work.
In the ACT in the past 16 months, there have been four deaths and 460 serious workplace injuries (those involving a week or more off work), according to WorkSafe ACT.
Those are the facts. For those who will never see a loved one again, the loss is immeasurable.
Kay Catanzariti, whose 21-year-old son Ben was killed during a concrete pour at a Kingston Foreshore worksite in July, said she once worried when her son told her he wanted to join the army or police force.
''Those are the kind of jobs in which you put your life on the line. Who would think that sort of thing would happen in construction?'' she said.
She and her husband Barney appreciate the effort that has gone into the National Workers Memorial.
''It's a good gesture for the workers, it shows them some respect'' she said. ''I just wish our son didn't have to be remembered in this way.''
There is no doubt all those who have worked on the memorial have treated it with great care and dignity. The voice of National Capital Authority senior project manager Peter Nelson cracks when he talks about the memorial. He has been touched by its undeniable human element.
''Over the course of working on the memorial we have listened to many tragic and moving stories of loss. These stories have inspired the team as a whole,'' he said.
''The success of the memorial is not only about honouring those lost; just as important is the need for the memorial to be loved by those left behind.''
Sydney-based architecture firm Johnson Pilton Walker won a national competition to design the memorial, edging out 25 other entries. (The firm's many projects also include the National Portrait Gallery.)
The project architect, Brendan Murray, 32, is a Canberra boy who went to school at St Mary MacKillop College and then studied at the University of Canberra and Australian National University.
He hopes the memorial will be a place that attracts people. The project includes a new toilet block, a barbecue area and landscaped gardens. A path will eventually extend to Parkes Way and the location is near the planned Boundless National Children's Playground.
''We wanted to not necessarily focus on the sombre aspect of it,'' Mr Murray said. ''We also wanted to create a plaza that people can come to and have a sense of community and gathering, and a sense of hope and understanding.''
The design features slender columns in stone sourced from around the nation. Their position represents an abstract map of Australia, to reflect the fact it belongs to the nation and everyone should feel at home there.
Concentric rings on the plaza radiate from each column, reflecting the ripple effect through the community of a work-related death. At the foot of each column is a value - from teamwork and dignity to family and commitment. Quotes sourced from interviews with people affected by workplace incidents are included in the design. There are passionate proclamations (''We work to live, not to die'') and personal reminisces (''His silly grin''; ''I think about her every day'').
The entry is lined with rosemary for remembrance. It is hoped that people will eventually take a sprig and lay it on the memorial. No names are displayed on the memorial. But people will be able to add names to honour roll on the National Workers Memorial website.
The winning design was announced only 13 months ago.
NSW Labor senator Doug Cameron, who chaired the National Workers Memorial steering committee, said the project had cross-party support from the start. The committee also comprised ACT Labor senator Kate Lundy, ACT Liberal senator Gary Humphries, NSW National Party senator John Williams and West Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert.
A former union heavyweight, Senator Cameron has campaigned for many years for a workers' memorial, saying it was then prime minister Kevin Rudd who gave it the green light.
''I just thought there was a need for a memorial to people who lost their life building the nation,'' he said.
Senator Cameron said he believed the memorial was a ''big national symbol''.
''I think it will give many families an opportunity to pay their respects,'' he said. ''I'm very proud and very happy to be involved and really appreciate the work that everyone has done to get this to reality.''
Workplace fatalities in the ACT in the past decade:
■ Dimitrios Theodorelos, June 4, 2004 (construction)
■ Ian McLachlan, December 8, 2004 (forestry)
■ Nikolco Spasovski, July 1, 2006 (construction)
■ Geoffrey 'Blackfella' Gowen, January 13, 2009 (waste services)
■ Wayne Fitzgerald, March 17, 2009 (transport)
■ Wayne Vickery, December 12, 2011 (construction)
■ Michael Booth, March 23, 2012 (construction)
■ David Couch, March 26, 2012 (painter)
■ Ben Catanzariti, July 21, 2012 (construction)
(Source: WorkSafe ACT)
■ The National Workers Memorial will be officially opened at Kings Park, Wendouree Drive, Canberra, at 11am on Sunday. The public is welcome to attend the ceremony.