Trees in remembrance

In Australia, commemorative trees have been planted in public spaces since the late nineteenth century. Arbor Days were held regularly in most Victorian State Schools during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and numerous trees were planted in parks in Melbourne and throughout Victoria to mark the visits of important and famous people.

This tradition of commemorative planting was continued in 1901 when at the end of the Boer War trees were often planted for each soldier of the district who was killed in South Africa. These plantings, however, rarely consisted of more than two or three trees in each town.

During and after the First World War venues of honour consisting of trees lining significant streets became a popular form of commemoration. They represented a new egalitarian approach to the commemoration of soldiers where rank was not a consideration: each tree symbolises a person.

Booroopki “towering evergreens would stand aloft in their dignity”

Booroopki's memorial

Avenues of honour are a uniquely Australian phenomenon. Australians, and in particular Victorians, embraced the idea of planting them more enthusiastically than any other country in the world. The Eurack Avenue of Honour (near Cressy) is the earliest known avenue of honour to be planted in Victoria and dates from 1916.

By the time of the Second World War avenues of honour had declined in popularity as a means of commemoration. Today it is estimated that over 300 avenues of honour have been planted in Victoria to commemorate service personnel since 1901.

The Avenues of Honour 1915-2015 Project is a national initiative which aims to commemorate the memory of every individual who has fallen in the service of Australia with a tree.

 

With community support, the project will document, preserve and reinstate the original Avenues of Honour where possible, and establish new Avenues of Honour by the centenary of Anzac in 2015. More than 102,000 Australians have died in the service of their country during various conflicts.

The first stage of the project is capturing information about existing and lost Avenues of Honour and the people commemorated by them. 

TreeNet's home-page

TREENET, a national not-for-profit organisation based in Adelaide, has established a database of all known avenues and is collecting other information to build a comprehensive national record. 

The wayside stop at the Booroopki Avenue

Local Avenues include:
TheBooroopki Avenue of Honour was planted with thirty-five Eucalyptus and Pine trees in memory of those who fought in the First World War. The Avenue was opened on 29th August 1918 at a ceremony that began with the national anthem and featured an address by Mr C.D. Block. Three trees were given prominence as those dedicated to three deceased servicemen: Pte. J.R. Gardner, C.F. Patching and P. Brennan. It is great that such a small community like Booroopki has a wonderful ongoing relationship with their war memorial. Services are still held there on Anzac Day, and Daryl Crabtree & Daryl Povey have compiled a short family history on each soldier at Booroopki World War I

The Dimboola Avenue of Honour, along Ellerman and Muller Streets, was planted in 1949 to commemorate the First and Second World Wars. The avenue comprises of Sugar Gum trees (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) and Southern Mahogany trees (Eucalyptus botryoides). The Dimboola Memorial High School is also in Ellerman Street.

The Donald Avenue of Honour known as the Memorial Crescent, was planted in 1995 to commemorate the Second World War. The Crescent was planted with eighteen sugar gum trees planted in a double row along Byrne Street . Under each tree was a white wooden cross with the name of a local servicemen. The Crescent was an Australia Remembers project for the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Great Western's avenue on the Western Highway

The Great Western Avenue of Honour was planted in 1935 to commemorate the First World War. It is located on the Western Highway between Stawell and Ararat. The avenue is comprised of Desert Ash trees (Fraxinus angustifolia) and Plane trees (Platanus).

The Hopetoun Avenue of Honour, along Warracknabeal Road south of the town, comprised 70 Sugar Gums planted to commemorate the First World War. Today there are only a few gums remaining.

Roberts Avenue, Horsham

The Horsham Boer War Avenue of Honour was planted in 1902 to commemorate the Boer War. It was originally planted with 80 English Oak trees (Quercus robur) along Roberts Avenue, between Darlot and McPherson Streets. Now only the section between Urquhart and McPherson Streets remains. A plaque on Roberts Avenue records the dedication in 1902.

Information on war memorials in Victoria is in the Victorian War Heritage Inventory