In the heart of Australia, 230 kilometres west of Alice Springs, stands a 20-metre steel cross that most Australians don't know exists. The Forgiveness Cross, launched on Good Friday 2023, marks a remarkable story of faith, reconciliation, and indigenous achievement that began exactly 100 years earlier.
Vision Christian Media radio hosts Fel Limmer and Andy McLennan speak with CEO Phil Edwards about his experience at the launch in 2023, uncovering the powerful story behind this remote monument.
The story begins in 1923, when young indigenous missionaries travelled from Hermannsburg to Haasts Bluff in the Northern Territory, spreading the Gospel to the western desert region. One hundred years later, this historical Christian event was marked with a cross on top of Memory Mountain.
When photographer Ken Duncan visited in the 1990s, he connected with the local indigenous leaders and heard about their desire to build a large cross on Memory Mountain.
The logistics were extraordinary. Every piece of steel had to be transported from Adelaide. The cross is massive – footings extend 4.5 to 6 metres into the ground, with a 2-metre by 2-metre square base continuing to the arms. Solar panels sit atop, and the entire structure can be walked through.
“Every item had to be very well planned,” explains Dennis Woodward, Forgiveness Cross project manager. “Every bit of steel had to be brought out here. It was a very big process.”
The Good Friday 2023 launch drew people from across the country – the photographer Ken Duncan, the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, TV personality Ray Martin, and indigenous and non-indigenous Australians united in celebration.
“Indigenous people, non-indigenous people, politicians, musicians, people in ministry – there weren't barriers there,” Phil recalls. “Often there are barriers between black and white – none of that.”
As the sun set on Good Friday, the statement rang out: “Let there be light.” LED beams illuminated the cross against the outback sky.
Ken’s connection runs deep.
“I've had a passion for the indigenous people all my life. My mum and dad were missionaries,” he says. When he attended a community singalong 23 years ago, it was “one of the most profound things I've ever heard”. The singalongs have continued since 1982, bringing people together nearly every night.
Ray sees the cross as more than religious. “I always saw it as an ecumenical cross. If you were Buddhist or Muslim or didn't have a particular faith, this might be a place you could meet and get some wellness ... It's a really good Aboriginal success story.”
From Memory Mountain, visitors can see all the highest mountains in the Northern Territory. At sunrise, people of all faiths and backgrounds gather – Jews, Catholics, various denominations, and those with no faith at all – united by the spectacular view and the spirit of the place.
The location itself carries profound symbolism. As Fel says, “In the very middle of Australia, forgiveness is there planted.”
#helpinghandstvau #makingtheworldabetterplace #documentary #impactmakers #impact #gamechangers #socialgood #tvshowforsocialgood #becabbott #forgivenesscross #reconciliation #indigenousaustralia #centralaustralia #kenduncan
