Aberfeldie Avenue of Honour
The Boulevard ABERFELDIE, MOONEE VALLEY CITY
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Statement of Significance
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Veterans Description for Public
Aberfeldie Avenue of Honour - Veterans Description for Public
The Aberfeldie Avenue of Honour was planted along the Boulevard, between Holmes and Vida Streets. The opening ceremony took place on Saturday 12th June 1920 with the Mayor Councillors and local returned servicemen in attendance. After the planting an afternoon tea was held in the Boathouse and the Essendon City Band performed. The original Avenue comprised of a dozen Cyprus trees dedicated to each battleship that had served during the First World War. In 1999, the avenue was reconstructed and rededicated. Today the Avenue comprises of 70 treesin good condition.
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 earliest known planting of an avenue of honour in Victoria is at Eurack which commenced 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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ESSENDON INCINERATOR COMPLEXVictorian Heritage Register H0434
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INFANT BUILDING, MOONEE PONDS WEST PRIMARY SCHOOLVictorian Heritage Register H1321
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RALEIGH MANAGER'S HOUSEVictorian Heritage Inventory
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