History of the Avenue
(click on image to enlarge)
The idea for the Ballarat Avenue of Honour in 1917 was attributed to
Mrs W.D. (Tilly) Thompson, a director of a local clothing manufacturer, E. Lucas & Co.
Between June 1917 and August 1919, a tree was planted for each soldier who enlisted as a
resident of the urban area of Ballarat. The trees were planted in order of the soldiers
enlistment, and stretched some 22km along the Western Highway, consisting of 3,771 trees.
This concept created the beginning of a cultural landscape peculiar to
Australia. At least 128 Avenues of Honour were planted throughout Victoria between 1917
and 1921, the majority concentrated in the Central Highlands.
From the beginning, the Ballarat Avenue was grand in concept,
culminating in the official opening of the Arch of Victory by the Prince of Wales in 1920.
The 500 staff of E. Lucas & Co. (known as the 'Lucas Girls) not only raised the money
required, but then proceeded to plant all the trees themselves on weekends.
To this day, the Avenue continues to present a vast and memorable leafy
gateway to the City of Ballarat, and a grand living monument to those who volunteered for
active service.
Location
The Avenue of Honour is located
along the Ballarat Burrumbeet Road (former Western Highway) approximately 4 kilometres
north west of the Ballarat City Centre. The Avenue is presently comprised of a total of
3,332 trees, and covers a distance of approximately 22km in length. It begins at the Arch
of Victory in Alfredton, runs westward to Lake Burrumbeet where it changes direction and
heads north, crossing the Western Freeway Bypass and continuing along Avenue Road to
Weatherboard Learmonth Road. It is a continuous Avenue except where the Western Freeway
Bypass has recently been constructed across it, and just south of this point where only a
single row of trees lines the road on the east side.
Tree Planting and
Species:
 On 3 June 1917, the first 1,000 trees in the Avenue
were planted by staff from the local textile mill E. Lucas & Co. Just over two years
later the final planting took place on 16 August 1919, with a total of 3,771 trees
extending over a distance of approximately 14 miles along the Ballarat-Burrumbeet Road.
There were eight plantings in all, which took place sometime between June and August each
year and usually consisted of around 500 trees. The trees were planted in single lines
along either side of the road at a regular spacing of 35-40ft apart, and set back from the
edge of the carriageway approximately 15-20ft. Each newly planted tree was protected by a
substantial timber guard, to which a plate bearing each soldiers name, rank and unit was
attached.
Originally 23 different species of trees were planted in the Avenue
including American Ash, English Ash, Mountain Ash, North American Maple, Scarlet Oak,
Norway Maple, Broadleaf Maple, English Maple, Alder Trees, Lime Trees, Ontaria Poplars,
Silver Birch, Deciduous Cypress, Oaks (Sailors), Purple Leaf Elm, New Silver Poplars,
Tulip trees, Huntingdon Elms, Canadian Giant Elms, Oriental Planes, Black Italian Poplars,
Sugar Maple and Chestnut Oak. Individual species were usually planted in blocks of about
50 trees (25 either side), however during the last two sections of the Avenue a slight
change was made and two different species were used alternately and planted in blocks of
around 100 trees). Many of the original species used in the Avenue did not flourish and
were soon replaced by several different species of Elm Ulmus sp. and Poplar
Populus
sp.
Bronze Memorial Plaques:
In 1934 the original
Avenue name plates fixed to the tree guards (most of which were lost or missing) were
replaced with the permanent bronze name plaques in the Avenue today. Manufactured by the
local Ballarat firm of Mann Bros., the plaques were hand cast in gunmetal and bolted to
mild steel straps set in concrete footings at the base of each tree.
The previous Avenue name plates fixed to the tree guards between 1917
and 1919 originally recorded each soldier's name (including full Christian name), unit and
rank. However, in 1934 the Arch of Victory Avenue of Honour Committee decided that no
reference to any title or rank should be included on the new plaques, and that full
Christian names would be replaced with an initial. Consequently, each bronze plaque
records a soldier's name (surname with up to three initials), tree number and battalion.
When known, many of the plaques also included a cross below a soldier's name to indicate
that they were killed in action.
Arch of Victory Unveiled 2nd June 1920
 The result of a
great deal of work by the girls employed by E Lucas and Co., who raised the money required
to build the Arch.
The foundation stone was laid on the 7th February 1920 by General Sir William Birdwood and
the Arch was opened on the 2nd of June 1920 by the Prince of Wales. The Arch is made of
bricks, cement rendered. On sunday 13th March 1938, Mr S Walker, President of the Ballarat
RSSIA unveiled the Temple of Remembrance which is situated at the entrance of the Avenue
of Honour. The temple houses a Book of Remembrance which contains a number of steel sheets
upon which have been inscribed the names of every person in whose honour a tree has been
planted in the Avenue. On the 7th of November 1954, Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead
unveiled two tablets to acknowledge the services of the men and women from Ballarat in the
1939 - 1945 war.
CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF EVENTS
1917 Employees of Ballarat textile mill E. Lucas & Co. began
planting the Avenue of Honour along the Ballarat-Burrumbeet Road on June 3rd to
commemorate the soldiers, sailors and nurses from the district who served during World War
One.
1919 Final planting (eighth section) of the Avenue of Honour on
August 16th. The completed Avenue comprised 3,771 trees (23 species), extended over a
distance of approx. 14 miles and cost a little over £2,000. A returned soldier was
employed to maintain the Avenue.
1920 Arch of Victory at
the Ballarat end of the Avenue officially opened by the Prince of Wales on June 3rd (third
anniversary of first tree planting). The Arch cost a total of £2,105, with funds raised
by the Lucas Girls.
1921 Two captured German
Gun war trophies placed at the Arch of Victory unveiled on Anzac Day.
1925 Fundraising to provide permanent name plates for the Avenue
begun by the Lucas Girls with the sale of surplus seeds, bulbs and plants from the
Ballarat Botanical Gardens.
1931 Arch of Victory Avenue of Honour Committee formed to assume
responsibility for administration of funds for maintenance of the Arch and Avenue and
provision of permanent name plates. Took over from the committee at E. Lucas & Co. who
had previously maintained the Arch and Avenue.
1934 Permanent bronze name plates installed at the Avenue of
Honour. Manufactured by the Ballarat firm of Mann Bros., the name plates cost approx.
£1,630 (inc. installation).
1935 Temporary floodlighting installed at the Arch of Victory
for the Ballarat Centenary celebrations.
1936 Memorial Cairn and
Cross of Remembrance erected at the western end of the Avenue near Learmonth unveiled on
Armistice Day (renewed in more permanent materials in 1959).
1938 Rotunda and Roll of
Honour to the memory of Ballarat and district soldiers, sailors and nurses who served
during World War One erected approx. 200 yards west of the Arch outside the Ballarat Golf
Club. The memorial contained a Book of Remembrance recording the names of every person for
whom a tree had been planted in the Avenue of Honour.
1940 Committee experimented with different methods of cleaning
and securing name plates over the next few years, and approx. 150 plates at the Ballarat
end of the Avenue removed from stands and screwed to the trees.
1950 Official Anzac Day dawn service shifted from the Arch of
Victory to the newly erected Cenotaph on Sturt Street. Short wreath laying ceremonies were
still held at the Arch during subsequent years.
1954 Two granite plaques added to the Arch to commemorate the
services of members of the Army, Navy and Air Force during World War Two unveiled on
Remembrance Day.
1957 First meeting of the Arch of Victory Avenue of Honour
Committee in over 11 years following the deaths of 6 key members.
1960 CRB proposed scheme
to replant 160 trees in the Avenue to allow for realignment of dangerous portions of the
Western Highway.
1965 CRB announced
proposed scheme to widen Avenue to allow for construction of a four lane divided highway,
including realignment of the roadway around the Arch. Regular replacement of dead/missing
trees discontinued because a major replanting scheme was considered necessary.
1970 CRB introduced
plantations of native trees and shrubs on the south side of the road reserve west of the
Cardigan Railway Line to replace Avenue trees and allow for duplication of the roadway
(242 name plates were relocated to these plantations in 1987). Numerous trees removed from
the Avenue during the 1970s and early 1980s to allow for intersection improvements and
entrances to various Caravan Parks, Hotels/Motels and residential estates.
1977 Following a number of
fatal road accidents RCA introduced a variety of improvements to the highway over the next
few years including corner delineators, raised reflective pavement markers and trebling
the number of guide posts over a section of the Avenue.
 1985 Old paintwork removed and the Arch restored to its original
render finish at a cost of $4,360.
1987 Memorial plaques on
the Arch dedicated to Malaya, Korea, Borneo and Vietnam Veterans unveiled on October 25th.
400 trees replanted in the Avenue in a joint project between the Committee, Eureka Apex
Club, and the Shire and City Councils.
1988 Avenue of Honour
classified by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) on the Register of Significant
Trees. First stage of the Ballarat Bypass begun by the RCA.
1990 Total of 102 existing Avenue trees removed by VicRoads
during the widening of three intersections along the Western Highway - Haddon Road &
Windermere Road intersection, Heinz Lane intersection, and Crown and Sceptre Road &
Finches Road intersection - with replacement trees planted approx. 9m back from the edge
of the roadway. Arch of Victory Avenue of Honour Committee formed a policy on
Western Highway Bypass, supporting moves which reduce traffic volumes and improve road
safety on this section of the Highway but objecting to the way in which the Bypass breaks
the Avenue into two separate parts at the Avenue Road intersection. Committee incorporated
on January 30th.
1991 Rumble strips and tactile line marking introduced along the
Avenue by VicRoads to improve road safety. Public appeal for $100,000 for Memorial Wall
Project and $50,000 for Avenue of Honour Preservation and Enhancement Fund launched by the
Committee on Anzac Day. Numerous authorities, organisations, charities and individuals
approached for assistance over the following two years.
1992 Total of 24 existing Avenue trees removed by VicRoads
during the widening of Dowling Road intersection, with replacement trees planted approx.
9m back from the edge of the roadway. Avenue of Honour entered on the Australian Heritage
Commission Register of the National Estate on June 30th.
1993 Memorial Wall Project adjacent to the Arch of Victory
officially opened by Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop on
May 16th. Erected at a cost of approx. $140,000 the project comprised a 10m long x 1.8m
high wall with bronze plates recording the names and tree numbers of the service men and
women honoured in the Avenue, and included the relocation of the Memorial Rotunda from
outside the Ballarat Golf Club erected in 1938.
1994 Ballarat Bypass
completed late in the year, reducing traffic along the Avenue by an estimated 80 percent.
Approx. 16 existing trees in the Avenue removed by VicRoads during construction of the
Bypass, with replacement trees planted on the outer edge of the Freeway reserve and along
the southern side of Gluepot Road. Elms in the Avenue damaged by accidental drift from
spraying of herbicide which covered a 500km2 area of central Victoria.
1996 Arch of Victory
relight with new floodlights, and with the assistance of a National Estate grant the
Committee commissioned the preparation of a Management Strategy Plan for the Avenue of
Honour.
COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF
AVENUES OF HONOUR IN VICTORIA
The practice of planting of trees for commemorative purposes dates
back to antiquity, the Romans pioneering the concept of commemorative tree planting along
roads with the burying their dead outside the city in tombs strung along the roadside.
In Australia commemorative trees have been planted in public spaces
since the late nineteenth century. As Dickens (1985) notes, a huge interest in plants
among Victorians was created by the ever increasing numbers of 'new' plants becoming
available, and trees were planted on every possible occasion. Arbor Days were held
regularly in most Victorian State Schools during the late 1800's and early 1900's, 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. In Australia the use of trees as a
memorial to soldiers may date from the Boer War, however these plantings rarely consisted
of more than two or three trees in each town.
In contrast, the number of dead from the First World War was enormous.
By 1918 the extremely high casualty rate of 64.93% (highest of all the allied forces)
meant that every Australian was related to or closely associated with someone who had been
killed during the war. For Australians the war was personalised. These facts help to
explain why most Australians were involved in creating war memorials (Australia outdoes
all other nations in war memorials). Many towns began plans for their memorials well
before the War had ended. The Avenues of Honour at Ballarat, Ballarat East, Cambrian Hill,
Digby and Seymour were begun in 1917, with a further 15 avenues planted elsewhere during
the following year. As many of the Avenues of Honour were planted while the servicemen
were still overseas, a tree was usually planted for each person who served in the War
rather than only for those who had died. Due to the sheer numbers involved, raising money
for the trees , tree guards and name plates was often quite difficult. Even so, avenues
were usually (though not always) a cheaper option than stone obelisks or statues and it
has been suggested this may be one reason why many of the smaller country towns decided to
plant avenues over other types of memorials (Dickens 1985; Haddow 1987).
A National Survey of War Memorials in 1920-21 indicates that at least
121 Avenues of Honour were planted throughout Australia in response to the First World War
- 92 in Victoria, 14 in New South Wales, 12 in Tasmania, 2 in Western Australia and 1 in
South Australia. By the Second World War avenue planting had lost much of its original
popularity, and in Victoria only 11 new avenues were planted and extensions made to 7
existing World War One avenues (Refer to Appendix 4).
Distribution:
Avenues of Honour are a uniquely Australian phenomenon.
Australians, and in particular Victorians, embraced the idea of planting Avenues of Honour
more enthusiastically than any other country in the world. Despite the research of others
(Dickens 1985; Haddow 1987), there are no known Avenues of Honour in the United States,
United Kingdom or New Zealand.
Avenues of Honour were a more popular form of war memorial in Victoria
than in any other state of Australia. Returns from the 1920-21 National Survey of War
Memorials indicate that in Victoria avenues represented 10% of all war memorials, in
Tasmania 5%, Western Australia 1%, New South Wales 1% and South Australia less than 1%. In
terms of the total number of avenues Victoria, NSW and Tasmania dominate. Nationally,
Avenues of Honour are a south-eastern Australian phenomenon with Victoria representing 78%
of those avenues. In Victoria the majority of avenues occur in the Central Highlands
region, with very few in the Wimmera, Mallee or East Gippsland. Within this broader
distribution pattern the avenues predominantly appear in clusters with the majority
located in country Victoria (Haddow 1987 & 1988b).
Research by Haddow (1987) suggests that the concentration of avenues in
the Central Highlands region of Victoria can probably be attributed to the effect of the
Ballarat Avenue of Honour - the earliest and largest recorded avenue in Australia.
Established amidst much interest and enthusiasm, the Ballarat avenue was grand in
conception and form, and no other avenue involved so many people or fundraising
activities, cost so much or consisted of so many trees. It is conceivable that the
Ballarat avenue acted as a stimulus for other communities who were debating the type of
memorial they would erect or that it was the catalyst for communities already pre-disposed
to the concept of tree the planting form of memorial.
From its inception the Ballarat avenue was associated with some
influential figures - the charismatic Mrs Thompson, the State Premier, various other MP's
and later the Prince of Wales. It was inevitable that knowledge of the avenue would
spread, that the activities of the Lucas Girls and the opening by the Prince of Wales
would receive Local, State and National publicity. Apart from the avenue itself the rather
unusual family-like atmosphere of the firm E. Lucas & Co and the companionship between
the Lucas girls is likely to have created some interest. The fund raising activities
ensured that thousands of people were exposed to the idea of the avenue whether through
the football matches, afternoon teas and garden parties or simply the purchase of a doll,
necklace or souvenir booklet. Ballarat was an important regional centre in the Central
Highlands and many people passed through it either holidaying or on business.
The great majority of Avenues of Honour were planted along National and
State Highways or major connecting roads, therefore Avenues of Honour had maximum public
exposure because they were associated with major transport links within the State. The
importance of major transport links is also demonstrated by the apparent clustering
pattern of the avenues, where most of the Avenues of Honour are clustered and linked with
important regional centres such as Albury, Orbost, Bairnsdale, Traralgon, Leongatha,
Berwick, Lilydale, Seymour, Hamilton, Dimboola and Ballarat (Haddow 1987).
Population, geographic and climatic factors also appear to have
influenced the distribution of avenues throughout the state. Haddow (1987) suggests that
low population densities in the North East and Central Gippsland possibly account for the
fact that few avenues exist in these areas. Low population densities reflect the
difficulties of terrain and communication. In both these regions the climate would have
been suitable for growing exotic trees (the preferred species during WWI), by contrast the
Mallee and Wimmera were not climatically suited to growing European trees and those
examples which do exist are of Australian natives - Sugar Gum Eucalyptus cladocalyx
at Pyramid Hill, Kaniva and Kotupna and Kurrajong Brachychiton populneum at
Nathalia. Droughts during the periods 1913-16 and again in 1918-20 affected northern
Victoria in particular and may also have influenced decisions about planting avenues
(Haddow 1987).
Haddow (1987) speculates on several reasons for the apparent greater
popularity of Avenues of Honour in rural Victoria. In addition to the often cheaper costs
than other types of memorials, perhaps roadside land was more available in rural areas
whereas in the city the land was in private or government ownership. In urban areas avenue
planting may also have been complicated by services such as gas, electricity, water,
pedestrian and vehicle routes. To account for the Australia wide distribution of Avenues
of Honour is more difficult. It is possible that the Ballarat Avenue had some impact on a
national level but this would have been minimal as even within Victoria its impact
decreased with distance. Haddow suggests that climatic factors and population distribution
are the most likely influences. In Victoria Avenues of Honour are generally
under-represented in areas of low population and climatic difficulty. The harsh climate
and low rainfall of South Australia may help to explain why there was only one Avenue of
Honour in that state. In Western Australia only two Avenues of Honour were recorded in the
1920-21 survey of War Memorials. Poor climate and soils for growing exotic trees (the
preferred species during WWI) may account for the lack of popularity of avenues in that
state. In contrast Victoria has long been referred to as the 'Garden State' and no other
state can grow exotic trees so extensively.
Community Origins and Involvement:
Avenues of Honour held a special importance for a city or town and
reveal a great deal about the attitudes of the local community towards those who served
during the First or Second World Wars. Avenues of Honour were not the result of Government
legislation but were borne (along with all war memorials) of a common social cause and
commitment. The majority of war memorials of both the First and Second World Wars were
paid for by funds raised locally, and to some extent the type of memorial reflected the
wealth and size of the community. In Victoria the type and location of the memorial was
usually decided in public forums such as the local Progress Association or at special
public meetings, then funded by public subscription and other fundraising activities.
Unlike most other types of memorials, Avenues of Honour involved a high
level of participation by the local community of the city or town in which they occurred.
At Ballarat the Avenue was planted by the staff of E. Lucas & Co, while fathers and
uncles helped dig holes for the trees and local farmers delivered wagon loads of timber to
the site for tree guards. Similarly, at Rokewood the trees were supplied by the residents
and planted by voluntary labour, in Piggoret the trees were planted at working bees by
enthusiastic residents, and in Seymour the Avenue was planted by school children (Haddow
1987).
In contrast, when communities
chose memorials such as statues, obelisks or honour boards the work required skilled
tradespeople and consequently the community was less involved in actually creating the
memorial. Often these types of memorial were crafted and assembled in factories hundreds
of miles away (and sometimes overseas) using imported materials and tradespeople. As
Haddow notes, Avenues more than other types of war memorials exhibit their populist and
vernacular origins, so that, while they are symbols of a national cause they have been
created by local communities and exhibit many interesting local variations.
Tree Species:
Since ancient times specific plants have been associated with
death, its rituals and surroundings. In burial grounds around the world Cypress, Yew,
Weeping Willows and Poppies are the traditional symbols of melancholy, while Laurels, Oaks
and Olive trees are suggestive of longevity and honour. Specific plant forms also have
important associations with commemoration of the dead. Trees which are vertical or
pyramidal such as Poplars and Cypress are often used to symbolise 'the elevation of the
soul from worldly concerns and focusing heavenward on the external', while the weeping
form of Birch and Willow signify 'grief, sorrow and mourning' (Curl 1980; Etlin 1984).
Of the 58 Avenues of Honour in Victoria which are still known to exist
only 10 bare any association with plant symbolism. There are Cypress avenues (death and
melancholy) at Lara, Moonie Ponds, Mortlake, Inverleigh and Coleraine, the Pine avenue
(mortality) at Corindhap, the Oak avenues (virtue and majesty) at Cranbourne and Woodend,
the Palm avenue (martyrdom, victory) at Epsom and the Walnut avenue (funeral tree) at
Tourello. And only for the Avenues at Sandringham where it was decided to plant Red
Flowering Gums Eucalyptus ficifolia 'so that they would form a scarlet coated guard
of honour in summer' is there any record of a deliberate choice being made based on plant
symbolism (Haddow 1987).
Rather, it appears that the choice of tree species had more to do with
the availability of plants, fashion and practicability. In the Western District for
example, Pines and Cypress had been used extensively since the 1870's, while in the case
of Mt Macedon the avenue Committee's choice was determined by 'the opinion of experts'.
Similarly, avenues from the First World War consisted overwhelmingly of European or exotic
species which were popular at the time, where as the use of native plants in avenues was
more common in Second World War avenues following their gain in general popularity during
the 1920's (Haddow 1987).
EXISTING HERITAGE
CLASSIFICATIONS
National Trust of Australia (Victoria):
The Ballarat Avenue of Honour was 'classified' on the National
Trust of Australia (Victoria) Register of Significant Trees on 15 December 1988. The
classification was defined as an Avenue comprising 3091 trees (Ulmus sp.) on the Western
Highway from Ballarat and the Learmonth Road. The estimated age of the trees was 69-71
years, and the Avenue was rated as being in good to fair condition. The citation for the
Avenue is as follows:
At 22km this WWI avenue is by far the longest in Victoria
and possibly the State's first commemorative planting. Following this planting, some 128
avenues were planted in Victoria, particularly around Ballarat. The avenue was planted
between 3 June 1917 and 16 August 1919 by the three Lucas sisters from the Ballarat
Fashion House of E. Lucas and Co. The best sections of the avenue - mixed species of
mainly Elms, Ash and Poplars - occur along Learmonth Road and near the Arch of Victory.
The avenue is in urgent need of attention and the substitute plantings of mixed natives
are inappropriate.
The Avenue was classified by the Trust on the basis of the following
criteria:
(2) Any tree which occurs in a unique location or context and so
provides a contribution to the landscape, including native remnant vegetation, important
landmarks, and trees which form part of an historic garden, park or town.
(8) Any tree commemorating a particular occasion (including plantings
by Royalty) or having associations with an important historic event.
Australian Heritage Commission:
The Ballarat Avenue of Honour was entered on the Australian
Heritage Commission Register of the National Estate on 30 June 1992. The listing was
defined as 'an avenue of trees, about 22km long, on either side of the Western Highway,
from the Arch of Victory near Learmonth Street, Ballarat, and Avenue and
Burrumbeet-Learmonth North Roads, to the intersection of the latter with the Weatherboard
Learmonth Road'. The Avenue was noted as consisting predominantly of Elms, but represented
eleven different exotic species in total (Ulmus x hollandica, U. vegeta,
U.
x hollandica Purpurascens, Populus nigra 'Italica', P. x canescens,
P.
alba 'Pyramidalis, Fraxinus excelsior, F. americana, Acer campestre,
Quercus palustris, Taxodium distichum). It was also noted that many of the
original 3912 trees have died or been removed during roadworks. Many of the trees were in
need of horticultural attention, and many of the name plaques had disappeared. In spite of
this the Avenue remains remarkably intact and is one of the healthiest in Victoria (May
1990). The AHC Official Statement of Significance is as follows:
The Ballarat Avenue of Honour is significant as the earliest
known memorial avenue to have been planted in Victoria, and appears to have stimulated
similar plantings throughout Victoria in the years 1917 to 1921. They predominate in
Victoria with the greatest concentration in the Central Highlands around Ballarat. These
avenues represent a new egalitarian approach in the commemoration of soldiers where
service rank was not a consideration and are illustrative of a peculiarly Australian,
populist and vernacular response to the experience of the First World War. They had
declined in popularity as a means of commemoration by the time of the Second World War
(Criterion A.4) The Ballarat Avenue is the longest avenue of honour in Australia and,
composed of exotic trees planted along a major road, is a dominant landscape feature in
the low farming country with a powerful social message.
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