07/07/2026
This one’s a bit of a surprise
Visitors on the Summit to Sea Segway Tour are not expecting to see the Commander in chief of the Turkish forces in Gallipoli as he keeps an ever watchful eye on the entrance to Princess Royal Harbour.
In case you’re wondering there isn’t a statue of Billy Hughes or the like at Gallipoli.
But there is a bronze sculpture depicting an Ottoman soldier courageously carrying a wounded Australian officer to safety across the trenches under a white flag of truce.
This July marks the 25th anniversary of the donation of the Atatürk Statue to Albany, in memory of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. During the First World War, Atatürk was commander in chief of Turkish forces at Gallipoli. Known as the founder of modern Türkiye and first president of the Turkish Republic, this monument represents the ongoing friendship between The Republic of Türkiye and Australia.
The Atatürk statue is located along the walking trail between Albany City Centre and Middleton Beach, above Point King Lighthouse, overlooking the Atatürk Channel which connects King George Sound to Princess Royal Harbour.
The front inscription reads:
M. Kemal Atatürk
PEACE AT HOME
PEACE IN THE WORLD
The right inscription reads:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881 - 1938)
Founder of the modern Republic of Turkey.
Commander in Chief of the Turkish forces in Gallipoli. His famous words are: Peace at home. Peace in the world.
At a dawn service in 1934 in Gallipoli referring to the ANZAC troops he said:
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the
Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side ...
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away
countries. Wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in
our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives
they are now our sons as well."
Sculpture by Burhan Alkar
Architects: Howard and Associates
Supported by: Turkish Prime Ministerial Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey,
City of Albany and Australian Government.