On the north-east corner of Parliament Drive is the Drinking fountain memorial gifted to the Australian public by the Returned Service League (RSL). This site-specific work was commissioned as part of the Art/Craft Program at Parliament House which saw over 85 Australia artists and craftspeople commissioned to produce site specific works which were an integral part of Parliament House’s design and construction.

On 9 May 1988 it was officially presented to commemorate the opening of Parliament House.

The fountain was designed by Romaldo Giurgola on behalf of the Mitchell/Giurgola and Thorp Architects. It features a granite water fountain, fabricated by Anne Ferguson. The carved sections of granite provide a visual reminder of the rocky cliffs of Gallipoli to symbolise the origins of the RSL.

Surmounted on the granite base are four distinct bronze hats, fabricated by Peter Corlett. The hats represent different arms of the Australian Defence Force: an Army slouch hat, a round flat-topped Navy hat, an Air Force forage cap, and a veil of the Nursing Corps. The four bronze hats were intended to remind parliamentarians and visitors to Parliament House of the price of peace.¹

The location of the gift was selected by the building architects so that it would overlook an expanse of land and institutions whose values Defence personnel fought for. The fountain overlooks Parliament (a symbol of democracy), the High Court (a symbol of justice), as well as the National Library of Australia and the National Gallery of Art (symbols of freedom of thought). These values are supported by the quote etched into the Fountain, which states ‘Look around you. These are the things they believed in'.

Peter Corlett
Peter Corlett (born 1944) is an Australian figurative sculptor. In 1961 Corlett studied at RMIT University in Melbourne before discontinuing his studies to work privately as a sculptor. From 1977 to 1980 he was artist in residence at Exeter University in the United Kingdom. He is well known for his memorial sculptures, including several commissions such as Simpson and his Donkey at the Australian War Memorial and Cobbers at the Australian Memorials Park, located near Fromelles in France.

Anne Ferguson
Anne Ferguson (born 1939) is an Australian sculptor. Born in Broken Hills, she studied at the Julian Ashton School in Sydney. She has been commissioned to produce many public works including the Servicewomen’s Memorial (1999) and the Sandakan Memorial (2004) at the Australian War Memorial. She was also commissioned to design and fabricate the four marble finials on the stairs in the public foyer of Parliament House.

References
1. Returned Service League of Australia Executive, 5th September 1988 Presentation Ceremony Handout, 1988.