Walking Together is a memorial to those students who were sexually abused while attending a Sydney School. The memorial, to be known as the Walking Together Memorial, will be a place of healing and reflection, a poignant and lasting reminder that the heinous crimes committed against School students must never be repeated.
The Walking Together Memorial, while recognising past failures, focuses primarily on the future and the continuing safety and wellbeing of students. The Memorial will be a place of healing and peace for victims and survivors that will inspire hope. It will embed the idea of walking together - of being there for each other - into the school’s culture.
The concept design of the memorial reinforces a message of hope and renewal. The sandstone cube emerging from the ground symbolises the school's awakening, and the spherical form in its centre evokes the idea of support and being physically held. The water vessel suggests cleansing and healing. Artist Chris Fox held several meetings with the school’s planning committee to ensure he understood their concerns and encapsulated their vision. He sees the Walking Together Memorial as a point of reconciliation: "It's a sombre moment of acknowledgement but there's also that sense of hope and bringing people together."
Memorial
Landscape Design
2023
The Walking Together memorial is a point of reconciliation: "It's a sombre moment of acknowledgement but there's also that sense of hope and bringing people together."
Walking Together Memorial
‘Walking Together Memorial’ by Studio Chris Fox, 2023, for St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill.
Design, Documentation and Shop Drawings: Studio Chris Fox
Engineering: Bollinger+Grohmann
Construction: Fugen Constructions
Project Management: Bloompark Pact
Sandstone: Sydney Stone Masons with Gosford Quarries
Photography and Video: Josh Raymond
The Walking Together Memorial was made possible through the support of St. Joseph’s College, the Marist Brothers and other donors.