After an appeal for finances by then Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Robert Menzies, the Australian people subscribed more than the eventual cost of £100,000, then a vast sum of money for such a public memorial, indicating the gratitude of the nation. Additional memorials were constructed in Brisbane and Adelaide that used the surplus funds. Sydney architect Richard M. Ure won the design following a nationwide competition. Work commenced in December 1952 and took just over a year. Then Vice President, Richard Nixon, visited the site in the early stages of construction.