Apsley Mafeking Trees
Wallace Street (Wimmera Highway) APSLEY, WEST WIMMERA SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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Veterans Description for Public
Apsley Mafeking Trees - Veterans Description for Public
The Apsley Mafeking Trees were planted in 1902 to commemorate the Relief of the Siege of Mafeking during the Boer War.These two oaks (Quercus sp.) originally marked the front gateway of the first Apsley school building erected in 1880 -this building is now the Apsley Hall. The trees were planted by Walter Laidlaw Esq, owner of nearby Newlands Station.
In Australia, commemorative trees have been planted in public spaces since the late nineteenth century. Arbor Days were held regularly in most Victorian State Schools during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and numerous trees were planted in parks in Melbourne and throughout Victoria to mark the visits of important and famous people.
This tradition of commemorative planting was continued in 1901 when at the end of the Boer War trees were often planted for each soldier of the district who was killed in South Africa. These plantings, however, rarely consisted of more than two or three trees in each town.
During and after the First World War avenues of honour consisting of trees lining significant streets became a popular form of commemoration. They represented a new egalitarian approach to the commemoration of soldiers where rank was not a consideration: each tree symbolises a person.
Avenues of honour are a uniquely Australian phenomenon. Australians, and in particular Victorians, embraced the idea of planting them more enthusiastically than any other country in the world. The Eurack Avenue of Honour is the earliest known avenue of honour in Victoriawith planting commencing in May 1916.
By the time of the Second World War avenues of honour had declined in popularity as a means of commemoration. Today it is estimated that over 300 avenues of honour have been planted in Victoria to commemorate service personnel since 1901.
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Apsley Mafeking TreesVic. War Heritage Inventory
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