Carrington Community Memorial Park Print Page

The Memorial Park commemorates children of the Hunter region who died in the AIDS epidemic. 

In the late 1990s, parents of the Hunter Region whose children had died in the AIDS epidemic started an initiative for a permanent memorial within the city of Newcastle, the preferred form a grove of trees. In 2003, Newcastle Council proposed to close a disused small road off Cowper Street, Carrington – industrial sites existed along its southern perimeter. The project director of ‘Two Stars’ suggested the derelict land situated immediately to the south-eastern side of the bridge, opposite Connolly Park, would be an excellent location to develop a Community Park to include the desired grove of trees.

With support from the Community Greening Centre and the ACON Hunter Branch Council obligingly provided grass cover on the neglected site in time for the 2004 gathering on 1st December to mark World AIDS Day. People in attendance planted two Tuckeroo trees on the northern edge of the grassed land.

By early 2005 sufficient funds had accrued from book sales to provide the finance needed for a handsome park seat facing Cowper Street bridge and Throsby Creek, on the parkland’s north west corner. This seat was dedicated at the 2005 World AIDS Day event along with a planting of river oaks and grevilleas. In 2006, the northern side of the park was mounded high enough to accept a large Hill’s Fig tree, which was dedicated on World AIDS Day and named ‘Tree of Love’. A second fig tree named ‘Tree of Hope’ was planned for 2008 but only a plaque was dedicated on World AIDS Day 2008.

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Dedication