Soldiers Avenue
100 Memorial trees planted
Speech by the Governor
Delightful weather, complete arrangements,
and the beautiful surroundings conspired to make the second tree
planting ceremony in the Domain on Saturday most successful. The Governor and Lady Newdegate,
attended by Captain Stopp, were present and commenced the ceremony
by each planting a tree at the city end of the avenue near the
railway station. The attendance was not as large as on the
first occasion owing to the numerous other functions taking place. On
Saturday the ceremony took place in the calm of peace and the relatives
of the glorious dead and the heroic living undertook their task
with the calm serenity of victors, knowing well that the men whose
memories were to be honoured had not given their lives in vain.
After having banked the earth up around
an oak that had sprung from an acorn from Gallipoli, His Excellency
said:- The words I shall say will be few. It was a great disappointment to
my wife and myself not to have been present when the planting of
this avenue first took place. I was unable to be present
and my wife did not like to once without me. I think that
whoever suggested the planting of these trees, as a memorial to
our fallen soldiers was possessed of a very beautiful idea. We
all of us want to show our respect, esteem and gratitude to those
men who have given up their lives for what they considered their
duty. They have, by their actions and their heroism, saved
our country and our Empire from the terrible things which might
have befallen us had not our gallant youth of the Empire come to
the rescue and fought their battles in the way they have fought
t hem. Their memories will never be lost ion their won families,
nor will they ever be lost in the minds of all who know what is
good and glorious in eth history of our country and the Empire.
It is easy to put up monuments of stone to their memory, and we
are glad to do so, but I think the idea of planting trees, which,
as the years go on, will grow and increase, is splendid, because
when people come and walk along your beautiful domain they will
see those trees growing, and will always be reminded that they
were planted in memory of those who, without fear, had gone and
done what they considered their duty.
The sympathy of all us goes to the families
who have lost members in this war. I think it must be
a source of pride to them to think that they are able in the
neighbourhood of the city from which many of these gallant men
enlisted, to plant trees which they will be able to look after
always, and which will stand as a memorial to those men who have
gone.
I feel very grateful to a fried of mine
in Victoria, Mr Winter Cook, who has given me this little oak
tree which you see here. It
was brought by a nephew of his who has Tasmanian blood in his veins
- Captain Cook a member of the Victorian army - as an acorn
from the Gallipoli peninsula, a small corner of the world which
will always be remembered in history as the place where
the gallant men of your 1 st Division did such stirring deeds. This
little tree actually comes from an acorn that grew on the peninsula
and here it is planted in your beautiful domain. I am sure
it will be a labour of love with the people of Hobart to see that
the trees are properly looked after. I think and hope it will be
of interest to you to have this little tree actually springing
from an acorn, which came from that place, which has given us such
glorious history. May I say, as the King's representative
here, that I am only doing in a small way what he would have done
himself. He glories in his soldiers and sailors and the
fine spirit which has gone through all classes, grades, and sections
of the British army, and he always wishes to do honour to our soldiers
and sailors who have done so much honour to our history and traditions. By
the grace of God, we hope this war is now over, and we trust that
those who are to come after us will not have to go through the
hard times that the youth during tehis war, with their fathers,
mothers, brothers, and sisters, sweethearts and wives, have had
to go through during the past few years. I think we can
only thank God that at the end of this was victory has been give
to our Empire and our brave Allies. I feel very deeply the
honour of having planted this tree in your Domain. I think
that the whole of this Avenue as it grows and becomes more beautiful
as years go on, will point to future generations of Tasmania how
the young men of today so nobly did their duty, and gave their
blood for the cause they considered right, because they thought
it was their duty to do so.
Lady Newdegate then planted a laurel from the forum in Rome.
The tree planters then went up over the
hill to the portion of the Avenue opposite Government house,
where 100 cedars within new guards awaited them. Little family groups gathered around
these, and packed the earth about the young trees. His Excellency
and Lady Newdegate each planted a Moreton Bay fig at the Government
House end of the avenue, which is the only portion of the avenue
incomplete. It will take about 50 more trees to complete
the scheme. It is hoped to have them planted by the winter. All
trees planted to date are thriving splendidly. |