The Park was established in 1903, as this report from the The Age tells us -
With a view to adding an attractive lung to the city of Collingwood, Cr. Gahan (the mayor) moved in the local council - "That this council dedicates, for the use of the public, the reserve at the rear of the town hall as a park, and that the public works committee be requested to have the trees planted as soon as the land is prepared." The land was cut through by the railway. The western margin, immediately behind the town hall, has been taken up by the bowling club, the Abbotsford Tennis Club and the Collingwood Quoit Club. The portion now to be planted is about four acres, having a frontage to Park-street, and running along Vere-street on the north and Stanley-street [sic] on the south. Cr. Gahan suggested that about 150 trees should be planted, and diagonal pathways cut from the four corners. Cr. Cain seconded the motion, which was carried. (2)
With a view to adding an attractive lung to the city of Collingwood, Cr. Gahan (the mayor) moved in the local council - "That this council dedicates, for the use of the public, the reserve at the rear of the town hall as a park, and that the public works committee be requested to have the trees planted as soon as the land is prepared." The land was cut through by the railway. The western margin, immediately behind the town hall, has been taken up by the bowling club, the Abbotsford Tennis Club and the Collingwood Quoit Club. The portion now to be planted is about four acres, having a frontage to Park-street, and running along Vere-street on the north and Stanley-street [sic] on the south. Cr. Gahan suggested that about 150 trees should be planted, and diagonal pathways cut from the four corners. Cr. Cain seconded the motion, which was carried. (2)
MMBW plan of the area from 1901, showing the Council land, behind the Collingwood Town Hall, which became Gahan Reserve. Stanton Street, was later extended across to Park Street, possibly in 1906 when Gahan Reserve was landscaped.
Detail of Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works detail plan. no. 1313, City of Collingwood, 1901,
from the State Library of Victoria, see full plan here https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/117687
Three years later, in 1906, The Age could report that -
The Collingwood council has just completed the ornamentation of a new reserve at the back of the town hall, in pursuance of its policy of making improvements where practicable in the city. The reserve is a little under five acres in area. It is bounded by Park, Vere and Stanton streets and the railway line, and unfenced. There are eight cultivation plots, all graded to an elevated star shaped centre, with rock borders and recesses for fourteen substantial wooden seats. About 100 plant trees have been distributed over the ground, and it is contemplated by Cr. Rain (chairman of the public works committee) to have the four winding paths from the corner to the centre lined to form shady and picturesque avenues. (3)
It is likely that the six Palm Trees were planted at this time. I don't believe that the reserve was initially called Gahan Reserve, and the first reference I can find to the term, Gahan Reserve, is 1908. (4) It was named for Cr John Gahan (1851-1916). This is from his obituary -
The death of Cr. John Gahan, which occurred at his residence, 'Langi Koort' Heidelberg-road, Ivanhoe, early on Saturday morning, has deprived Collingwood council of a most useful member. Cr. Gahan was the 'father of the council.' He was elected as far back as 1887, when the city was first divided into wards. After his initial contest for Victoria ward he invariably had a 'walk over.' Cr. Gahan was very nearly a foundation representative on the Metropolitan Board of Works, having served for 24 years in that capacity, during which time he was vice-chairman. He was also a member of the Manchester Unity Order of Oddfellows and was a prominent Mason, having passed through all the degrees in the Earl of Carnarvon lodge.
Cr. Gahan was born in 1851 in London, and with his parents landed in Victoria on New Years day, 1854. He was at the time of his death an estate agent in Abbotsford. Cr. Gahan had not been in good health for some time and after being prostrated for several weeks, he died from heart failure. He leaves a widow, six sons and a daughter. One of the sons, Studley Gahan, is in the A.I.F. fighting for the Empire and was in the famous landing at Gallipoli. The funeral of Cr. Gahan took place yesterday afternoon, and was very largely attended, there being 500 people present at the Boroondara Cemetery. (5)
The only two historic images I can find of Gahan Reserve are 1950s aerial photographs, taken by the company Airspy. They are shown below.
Gahan Reserve, behind the Collingwood Town Hall, March 8, 1951.
Photographer: Airspy. State Library of Victoria image H2010.91/417.
See the full photograph here https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4223658
Gahan Reserve, March 23, 1957.
Aerial view of residential streets, Collingwood. Photographer: Airspy.
State Library of Victoria image H2010.91/457.
See the full photograph here https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4325234
In 1919, there was a proposal to spend £2,000 to erect a kiosk and rotunda in the centre of Gahan Reserve. (6) These did not go ahead, but it was, however, still an attractive park without these additions and a vast improvement on its original state, as The Herald reported in June 1924 -
Much time and money were expended on bringing Gahan reserve to its present attractive condition. This reserve, which is at the rear of the municipal buildings and alongside the local railway line, was once a waste on which, as members of the Capulet and Yarra Yarra clubs, the late Harry Trott, an Australian XI, captain, his brothers and others learnt to play cricket on hard and rough wickets. (7)
Some of the park land was later used for an Infant Welfare Centre, which cost £1,500 and opened on August 5, 1927. (9) Interesting that if these figures are correct, how much cheaper it was to build the Infant Welfare Centre than the kiosk and rotunda. The Infant Welfare Sisters had previously operated out of a room at the Town Hall (9) and the new Centre was an immediate success. As The Age reported -
since the fine new centre was opened last year in Gahan Reserve the sisters have been able to give still more effective help to the mothers, and there have been 461 new entries on the roll of the centre. The total attendances of babies at the centre during the past year were 6673, and 46 individual expectant mothers have been advised: 1174 visits were paid to homes. (10)
That's a lot of little babies, who I am sure all appreciated the beauty of the well landscaped Gahan Reserve, and especially the six Palm Trees. 😀
The Gahan Reserve Palm Trees and the Infant Welfare Centre
Image: https://melbournelocalista.com.au/listing/gahan-reserve, with photo credit given to
Footnotes
(1) Victorian Heritage Database - Gahan Reserve
(2) The Age, June 10, 1903, see here.
(3) The Age, May 1, 1906, see here.
(4) Darling Downs Gazette, December 15, 1908, see here; the next use of the term I could find was in a real estate advertisement in The Age of October 12, 1910, see here. [ad is at the top of the sixth column]
(5) The Age, July 31, 1916, see here.
(6) The Herald, October 11, 1919, see here.
(7) The Herald, June 18, 1924, see here.
(8) Weekly Times, July 30, 1927, see here; The Age, August 3, 1927, see here. Victorian Heritage Database - Infant Welfare Centre - https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/87899
(9) The Herald, June 8, 1927, see here.
(10) The Age, July 27, 1928, see here.
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