There was once a Palm Tree in Flinders Lane, in the grounds of the Lumeah Private Hospital, at 108 Flinders Lane, which is between Russell and Exhibition Streets. It was considered to be a landmark and photographs of the tree appeared, on occasions, in the newspapers.
There is some mystery as to what happened to the Palm Tree. The Sun News-Pictorial in October 1942, published this report, about it being senselessly destroyed -
1931 - original caption - A Solitary Palm attempts to give Flinders Lane an eastern air.
Table Talk, March 19 1931 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146708731
The Lumeah Hospital building was erected by Dr James Barrett and in 1905 Miss Garlick, relocated her Lumeah Private Hospital from Hoddle Street to the Flinders Lane (also called Little Flinders Street) premises. (1) Lumeah is Aboriginal for 'Here I rest.' (2)
Dr James Barrett (1862-1945) was an Ophthalmologist, lecturer at Melbourne University (and later Chancellor), served overseas with the AIF in the First World as the Assistant Director of Medical Services - Australian Forces and also served with the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was involved with the Red Cross; and with his sister Edith, established the Bush Nursing Association in Victoria. (3)
Miss Garlick relocated her hospital to Flinders Lane
Weekly Times, October 21, 1905 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225189222
Lucy Garlick, the daughter of the Reverend Thomas Boothroyd Garlick and his wife, Annie Agnes (nee Miles). She was born in Tasmania in 1848, where her father was a Convict Chaplain; she died on July 28, 1919 at the age of 71. The Hospital was then taken over by the Anderson sisters. Miss Garlick's obituary was in the Weekly Times -
By the death of Miss Lucy Garlick, which occurred unexpectedly on Monday, the nursing profession loses one of its most distinguished members. Miss Garlick was one of the first nurses in Melbourne to take up private hospital work as a branch of the nursing profession. With Miss Fitton, now in Sydney, she took charge of a private hospital for Dr. T. Rowan in the house in Collins place now known as "Normanhurst." For some years she had a private hospital of her own in Flinders lane. Miss Garlick joined the Royal Victorian Trained Nurses Association when it was established in 1901. She was the oldest surviving daughter of the late Rev. Thomas Boothroyd Garlick. The funeral took place this afternoon, the arrangements being carried out by A. A. Sleight. (4)
Was it Miss Garlick who planted the Palm Tree in the grounds of the Lumeah Private Hospital? I like to think so, but I have no proof.
1933 - Strangely out of place in a world of bustle and business, this lonely palm tree in Flinders Lane has a mute, sympathetic companion in the old buggy at the kerb.
Sun News-Pictorial, May 19, 1933 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article277589724
Landmark Tree Goes. The palm tree which stretched almost half-way across Flinders-lane, between Collins-pl. and Russell-st., from the front of a private hospital, was destroyed on Wednesday night
by vandals for a wager of 8/-. Eyewitnesses said yesterday that they saw three men making the bet on the footpath. Then the competition to break the stem began. It did not last long as the first man was successful. The palm tree has been a landmark for many years. (5)
1934 - From this angle the palm tree in Flinders Lane lends an Oriental touch. It is located between
Collins Place and Russell Street.
The Herald, March 2, 1934 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243308688
Dr Barrett died in 1945 and the Lumeah Hospital was sold was part of his Estate dispersal in 1947. It was sold to the Post Master's General Department who were to demolish it and erect a telephone exchange. The Sun News-Pictorial reported on this sale in July 1947 -
The Hospital with the lone palm tree over the fence - Lumeah Private Hospital, in Flinders-lane - is to be closed although eight city doctors have asked to be allowed to buy the building and maintain it as a hospital. The Postal Department intends to acquire the property, which will be used as a temporary telephone exchange. (6)
However the article was accompanied by this photo (below) of the Palm Tree, the very tree which was supposedly destroyed in 1942.
Were there actually two Palm Trees at Lumeah? All reports and images refer to the one palm; however looking at the 1947 image, above, perhaps another was planted in 1942 to replace the vandalised one (or it regrew from the broken stem, not sure if that is possible). It doesn't look as tall, compared to the hedge height, as the original one.
The final reference I could find to the Flinders Lane Palm Tree was in the Cobram Courier. Cobram is near the New South Wales border, so that is far the Palm Tree's fame had spread -
Near the top of Flinders Lane a palm tree sticks out over the footpath. It is an unusual sight so much so that every now and again a picture of it appears in one or other of our illustrated weeklies with a comment upon its singularity. It has become a land-mark, and everybody whose business takes him up that end of the city knows it. It grows in the little front garden of a private hospital, which has been there for very many years, but both the hospital and the palm are doomed, for the post office intends to acquire the building to erect an exchange on it.
The doctors concerned are very upset over the matter, and as a result of interviews with authorities there was a chance that some other site would be selected. It appears they were given an option to purchase the spot and retain it as a hospital, but the transaction involved the purchase of an additional adjacent block. This has made the price prohibitive, and at the time of writing it looks as if the deal will fall through. If it does it will not make the hospital shortage more acute than it is, but will lead to the disappearance of the little lone palm for which everybody in the neighborhood has formed an affection. (7)
The doctors concerned are very upset over the matter, and as a result of interviews with authorities there was a chance that some other site would be selected. It appears they were given an option to purchase the spot and retain it as a hospital, but the transaction involved the purchase of an additional adjacent block. This has made the price prohibitive, and at the time of writing it looks as if the deal will fall through. If it does it will not make the hospital shortage more acute than it is, but will lead to the disappearance of the little lone palm for which everybody in the neighborhood has formed an affection. (7)
So that was the end of the landmark Palm Tree and the Lumeah Hospital building in Flinders Lane.
Footnotes
(1) Weekly Times, October 21, 1905, see here
(2) Endacott, Sydney J. Australia Aboriginal Words and Place Names and their meanings (Georgian House, 9th edition 1955)
(3) James Barrett (1862-1945) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry by S. Murray-Smith https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barrett-sir-james-william-64
(4) Birth information Tasmanian Archives https://libraries.tas.gov.au/slat/ . Anderson sisters - The Age, January 7, 1927, see here. Miss Garlic death notice - The Argus, July 29, 1919, see here; obituary - Weekly Times, August 2, 1919, see here.
(5) Sun-News Pictorial, October 2, 1942, see here.
(6) Sun News-Pictorial, July 24 1947, see here. Barrett Estate sale - The Herald, April 23, 1947, see here; Sun News-Pictorial, April 24, 1947, see here; Attempts to save the hospital - The Age, August 27, 1947, see here; Sun News-Pictorial, October 20, 1947, see here.
(7) Cobram Courier, October 10, 1947, see here
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