Soldiers AvenuePrint Page

The Soldiers Avenue at Freshwater was planted in memory of those who died in service or were killed in action during World War One and Two. The trees were originally planted in memory of those who lost their lives in World War One. 

The first trees in the Avenue of Honour at Freshwater were planted along what was formerly called Matheson Street but renamed Soldiers Ave about 1922 or 1923. It is thought the first tree was planted near the corner of Oliver Street to honour members of Freshwater SLSC.

There are numerous mentions of the memorial in the minutes of Warringah Council meetings throughout the 1920s and 1930s, particularly regarding requests from individuals and organisations for missing or dead trees to be replaced or for tree guards to be repainted. Some of the remaining trees were planted after World War One and some were planted after World War Two.

In May 2011 the Soldiers Avenue of Honour Action Group asked Warringah Council to help it get the avenue listed on the state register, after which the he council appointed a heritage landscape architect to assess the avenue and its worthiness for state listing.

The heritage landscape architect reported that only two of the trees in the street date from the 1920s and that increasingly tougher standards for state heritage listing would preclude Soldiers Avenue. He said this did not mean the avenue is not of heritage significance, just that it is of local rather than state significance.

In 2013, Friends of Freshwater president Peter Harley said local residents are determine to keep pushing for state listing for the trees, the plaques and the two remaining plinths. He said there are 66 trees in the Avenue of Honour, mainly Queensland brushboxes, and that the fact some of them were planted after World War Two to replace trees planted after World War One is irrelevant.

In 2015 as part of the Centenary of Anzac Commemorations, work commenced on refurbishing both the Wall of Remembrance and the Avenue of Honour.  With government support, wall plaques were repolished to ensure readability, and the first phase of the Soldiers Avenue Refurbishment Project was implemented. This included the installation of an information plinth; footpath memorial plaques beside the relevant trees; new foot paths and street signage; and compilation of the individual and family histories of those soldiers from the local area who served in the First World War theatres of war. As part of this project, the offices of the Harbord RSL Sub-Branch, are also establishing a website and archive repository for all of the histories compiled. All of the footpath memorial plaques installed in the Soldiers Avenue of Honour will have an embedded QR code which will link back to the website.

Location

Address:	Soldiers Avenue , Freshwater, 2096
State:	NSW
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -33.776891 Long: 151.284427 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

View Google Map

Details

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

Source: MA