Brother Francis GattiPrint Page 
The monument commemorates Brother Francis Gatti whose work transformed Central Park before its official proclamation on 31 May 1887.
Central Park was shown as a reserve in the town plan of 1866 and dedicated as a park in 1874. In 1882 a local Capuchin monk, Brother Francis Gatti, volunteered to look after the plants in the park and was commissioned to go to Sydney to select 400 trees. After initial vandalism Brother Gatti's perserverance and horticultural skills in the park prevailed.
Location
| Address: | Faulkner Street, Central Park, Brother Gatti Walk, Armidale, 2350 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -30.515743 Long: 151.665578 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Religion |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2000 |
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Brother Francis Gatti OSFC
"Reserve No 8" which became Armidale's Central Park was dedicated on 24 February 1874. By the time it was formally proclaimed on 31 May 1887 , the facetiously named "Dismal Park " was becoming a place of engaging charm and beauty. This transformation was due largely to the interest, skill and energy of Brother Francis Gatti, a Capuchian lay-brother.
The son of a farmer, Guilio Gatti was born at Iesi, Italy on 9 December 1833. He joined the Capuchian Order on 5 March 1856, taking the name Brother Francis. From 1867 he served at various Missions in Wales. He arrived in Armidale in November 1879 with the Most Reverend Elzear Torreggiani DD, OFSC, Second Catholic Bishop of Armidale (1879-1904).
Brother Francis applied his knowledge of horticulture and arboriculture to beautify the grounds of the first Catholic Cathedral, the Ursuline Convent and the Catholic portion of the Armidale Cemetery. By June 1882, he volunteered to tend the plants in this park, and was shortly commissioned to travel to Sydney "to select 400 trees". Despite his efforts "to make the plot of ground an ornament to the City", Brother Francis was frequently thwarted by "larrikins" of his time. He persevered however, and lived to see the early results of his labours before he died on 5 November 1891 during an influenza epidemic.
Si monumentum requiris, circumspice
If you seek his monument, look around you
This memorial to Brother Francis was erected in 2000. It was funded by Armidale Dumaresq Council.
Supported by Armidale and District Historical Society.
