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Kings Park Honour Avenue
Kings Park Honour Avenue

Photographs supplied by Kent Watson / Graeme Saunders

The Kings Park Honour Avenues commemorate those who have died in service or have been killed in action in conflicts in which Australia has been involved.

The idea of the Honour Avenues in Kings Park was taken up in 1918 by Mr Arthur Lovekin, an original member of the Kings Park Board. Kings Park and Botanic Garden now has a number of tree-lined avenues, set aside to honour service personnel who died in the two World Wars and other engagements.

At the base of each tree along these avenues, is a plaque inscribed with the name of the deceased, age, date and manner of death and who dedicated the plaque. Members of the Highgate Returned and Services League have maintained the plaques in a voluntary capacity through the Honour Avenues Group since 1922.

May Drive was opened on 23 July 1901 by Princess May, Duchess of Cornwall and York, later Queen Mary. May Drive became the first Honour Avenue in Kings Park and Botanic Garden in 1919. Relatives and friends of men and women who died during World War One planted 400 oak and plane trees during a planting ceremony. A message from Queen Mary was read to those assembled at the dedication.

When the trees failed to prosper, they were replanted with Bangalay (Eucalyptus botryoides) in the 1940s. Today, there is one oak left standing - at the corner of May and Lovekin Drives, adjacent to the Forrest statue.

After World War Two many requests for trees were received for dedication to Servicemen who died in that war and the Kings Park Board asked the Returned and Services League to arrange a dedication ceremony for the remaining 300 sugar gums (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) in Lovekin Drive. Lovekin Drive was dedicated on 5 December 1948 and honours the fallen of both World War One and World War Two.

The most recent addition to the Honour Avenues is Marri Walk, a roadway adjacent to Plaque No.191 on May Drive, that leads to the Royal Kings Park Tennis Club. Marri Walk was dedicated on 18 April 1999 and honours the fallen of World War One, World War Two and other engagements. It is here that future dedications will probably take place.

 

 

Location

Address:Lovekin Drive & May Drive, Kings Park & Botanic Gardens , Kings Park , 6005
State:WA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -31.961136
Long: 115.841355
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Avenue of Honour
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:Multiple

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 3rd August, 1919
Source: MA, SKP
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au