Thomas George Charles Weston Print Page 
The tree was planted to commemorate the centenary of the first visit by Charles Weston to the area designated for the National Capital.
Thomas Charles George Weston MBE (1866 – 1935) was an Australian horticulturist and was responsible for the afforestation of Canberra.
Weston was born in Middlesex, England. He trained as a horticulturist in the United Kingdom and migrated to New South Wales in 1896. He was employed as a gardener at Admiralty House in Sydney from 1898 to 1908 and as the superintendent at Federal Government House, Sydney until 1912. He managed the State Nursery, at Campbelltown between 1912 and 1913, and was appointed officer-in-charge of afforestation, Canberra in that year. He held that position until 1926.
In Canberra he carried out extensive scientific breeding trials to increase the number of species that might grow in Canberra. He also established the first plantation forest on Mount Stromlo. Nearly 1.2 million trees were put in between 1921 and 1924. Weston Park, a large park in Canberra, is named in his honour. He died in Turramurra and his ashes were scattered in front of Old Parliament House in Canberra.
Location
| Address: | King George Terrace, National Rose Garden, Old Parliament House , Parkes, 2600 |
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| State: | ACT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.300587 Long: 149.128621 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Tree |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Science |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 26-April-1911 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 26-April-2011 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Tuesday 26th April, 2011 |
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Thomas Charles George Weston
(1866-1935)
This tree was planted by the National Capital Authority to commemorate the centenary of the first visit by Charles Weston on 26 April 1911 to the area designated for the National Capital.
Weston established an experimental and testing nursery on Acton Penininsula throughout 1912, and became Officer-in-Charge (Afforestation Branch) in 1913. Under Weston`s guidance 2 million trees and shrubs were planted in Canberra between 1913 and 1926.
On a 160-hectare site at Yarralumla, Weston later created a much larger nursery and arboretum. The Acton nursery was closed during the construction of Lake Burley Griffin in the early 1960s.
Upon his death on 1 December 1935, Weston`s ashes were scattered, at his request, amongst the trees he planted in front of Old Parliament House.
