Palm Trees for Palmerston Avenue, Dromana

In November 1928  the following two articles were published about a proposal to plant a Palm Tree avenue in Dromana. The articles are essentially the same, but have a slightly different opening sentence.

Palm Avenue for Dromana - Messrs A. C. Yandell and Spencer Jackson have each provided 500 palms for planting in Palmerston avenue, Dromana's fine three-chain road. The Dromana Progress Association is designing the lay-out of the road for the council's approval, and the palms will be planted early next year. Eventually they will lead from Pt. Nepean road to the entrance to Arthur's Seat. (1)

Messrs. A. C. Yandell and Spencer Jackson have each provided 500 Phoenix Canariensis palms for planting in Palmerston avenue. The Dromana Progress Association is now designing the lay out of the road for the council's approval, and the palms will be planted early next year, and will eventually lead through from Point Nepean road right to the entrance to Mt. Arthur's Seat. (2)

A.C. Yandell was Augustus Charles Wenmouth Yandell. He died on July 14, 1929 and this short obituary was published in The Argus -

Mr. A. C. Yandell formerly of Castlemaine died on Sunday in a private hospital, in Melbourne aged 49 [sic] years. Mr Yandell, who was a native of Castlemaine was chairman of the Castlemaine Electric Supply Company a member of the Pioneers Association and the Old Schoolboys' Association and a past master of the Orange Lodge. He had been in failing health for some years, and, acting on medical advice took up residence at Dromana three years ago. (3)

His death notice said he was actually 59 years old and that he was the husband of Lavinia and father of Herbert, Cyril, Marjorie, Eric, Charles and Joyce. At the time of his death, Mr Yandell was the acting-President of the Dromana Progress Association. (4)

Spencer Jackson was a real estate agent and a property developer. In 1927 he published the History of Beautiful Dromana a 36 page booklet with a history of the town and a description of all the tourist attractions. The booklet also promoted his new housing estate, the Panoramic Estate, which bordered Palmerston Avenue.  Mr Jackson died on February 28, 1959 aged 67, leaving behind his wife Rene and son John. (5)

The Dromana and District Historical Society has published a facsimile edition of the History of Beautiful Dromana, and the map below comes from this booklet. (6)

Aerial view of Dromana, showing Palmerston Avenue, the location where the Palm Trees 

were to be planted, and Spencer Jackson's Panoramic Estate.

Source: History of Beautiful Dromana (see footnote 6)

Were the 1,000 Palm Trees actually planted in Palmerston Avenue? The newspapers reports note that they were to be planted in early 1929. I do not believe they were planted, perhaps the death of Mr Yandell in July 1929 put the project on hold and then the Depression finished it off. The reason I don't think they were planted is that they are not visible in the two photographs below from the 1950s.

Pier Street, Dromana (which comes up from the Dromana pier) intersects with 

Palmerston Avenue, centre right of the photo. 

There are no trees at all planted along Palmerston Avenue. 

Looking at the development along Pier Street compared to the photo below, this one is 

around 1950, twenty years after the Palms were to have been planted. 

Dromana, c.1945-1954. Victorian Railways photographer.

State Library of Victoria image H91.50/1668  https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/451362 

1955 - This is Pier Street running to Palmerston Avenue, with Jetty Road at an angle 

running top right. The trees on Palmerston Avenue to the right of Pier Street appear to 

be pine trees; there are no Palm Trees.  The Panoramic Estate is only sparsely settled. 

Aerial view of Dromana, October 22, 1955. Photographer: Airspy

State Library of Victoria image H2010.91/541 https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4325235 

In spite of good intentions it appears that the 1,000 Phoenix Canariensis Palm Trees, were never planted along Dromana's fine three-chain road, Palmertston Avenue.

Footnotes

(1) The Herald, November 9, 1928, see here

(2) The Argus, November 9, 1928, see here. The same report is in the Sun News-Pictorial, November 10, 1928, see here.

(3) The Argus, July 16, 1929, see here.

(4) The Argus, July 15, 1929, see here;  Sun News-Pictorial, July 22, 1929, see here.

(5) The Age, March 3, 1959, p. 13; The Age, March 3, 1959, p. 3. - on newspapers.com

(6) History of Beautiful Dromana originally  published by Spencer Jackson & Co., in 1927. The Dromana and District Historical Society facsimile edition was published in 2011. 

Palm Trees in Coburg, Victoria

These are some reports about Palm Tree planting in Coburg, Victoria, in the 1920s and 1930s. The Palm Tree seemed to be the favoured tree in Coburg and by 1934 it was reported that over 1000 had been planted.

Palms Will Wave In Streets of Coburg - Where strips of earth between paths and kerbs are wide enough in some Coburg streets, the council will plant palms instead of trees.

(Sun News-Pictorial, July 27, 1928, see here)   

Palms For Coburg Streets. Coburg Council adopted a recommendation by the curator last night

that in streets where the nature strip between the paving and the channel was wide enough, palms should be planted instead of trees.

(The Herald, July 26, 1928, see here) 

From a report of a Coburg City Council meeting - Beautifying Streets - From in Mr. A. W. Morris, offering to plant and maintain two palm trees in front of his property in Murray street, provided the council will supply the trees—Referred to the curator.

(Brunswick and Coburg Gazette, September 20, 1929, see here.) 

From a report of a Coburg City Council meeting - Consideration was given to a communication from the North-East Coburg Progress Association requesting that trees or palms be planted in Anzac avenue. It was decided that small flowering guns or eucalypts should be planted. The curator reported that as the nature strips were only 8 feet wide there would not be sufficient room for palms to expand.
(Brunswick and Coburg Gazette, October 23, 1931, see here) 

Murray Street Palms - At its last meeting, the Coburg council decided to comply with the request of interested residents that palm trees should be planted in Murray street from High street to Montifore street. The southern portion of Murray street has been planted with palms for some time.
(Brunswick and Coburg Courier, July 7, 1933, see here) 

Beautifying Coburg Streets. Following a report from the Curator relative to tree planting, Coburg Council intends to enter upon a scheme of replacement where tree guards are not required. Palms are to be planted in streets where the nature strips are suitable for such planting. The Curator will be asked to prepare a list of streets in which the planting of trees could proceeded with without the necessity of using guards. Planting in privates streets will also be undertaken.
(Brunswick Guardian, June 8, 1934, see here)  

Ornamental Palms For Coburg - Mr. A. T. Latham, secretary of the Victorian Society for the Protection of Animals, has presented Coburg Council with a large number of ornamental palms for street plantations and city beautification.
(Sun News-Pictorial, August 25, 1934, see here) 

Tree Planting at Coburg. Coburg council received a report from the curator that 1000 palms had been planted on the wide parkins in various streets and in the reserves. Already 2000 street trees and palms, as well as a number of shrubs, had been planted in the season.
(The Age, September 21, 1934, see here)

Two of Coburg's Palms outside the Town Hall, in Bell Street, you can just see the trunk of 

one on the left, behind the gun. 

Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. Undated, but c. 1940s/1950s.

State Library of Victoria image H32492/7879

The Coburg Town Hall is bottom left, Coburg State School is bottom right and the building on

 the other side of Bell Street is Coburg High School, pre 1937 as that was the year the High School 

was extended with a new facade. (1)   

The  Palm Trees, War Memorial and the two guns are in front of the Town Hall. 

Palm Trees also line Bell Street and the path through the park to the oval. You can see this better

 in the high-res version here  https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/2043

Coburg looking south over Bell Street, pre 1937

Photographer: Airspy. State Library of Victoria image H91.160/1603

Coburg High School, c. 1940s. The extension and new facade of the School are from 1937, and you can clearly see the original building and the Bell Street Palm Trees.

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 10516/P0001, Coburg High School

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/7BC24D76-F7EA-11E9-AE98-BBE0984B5566?image=1

Another view of the Coburg High School and Bell Street Palm Trees c. 1940s. 

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 10516/P0001, Coburg High School

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/7BC24D76-F7EA-11E9-AE98-BBE0984B5566?image=1

This image is from July 1957 - the Town Hall is bottom left, Coburg State School is bottom right

 and the building opposite is Coburg High School, with it's 1937 extension and facade.   

The War Memorial and the two guns are in front of the Town Hall, however the two Palm trees, 

seen in the image above, are no longer there and the Palm Trees along Bell Street have also gone.

Detail of Aerial view of City Oval, Bell Street, Coburg, Victoria, looking south, July 14, 1957.

Photographer: Airspy.  State Library of Victoria https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4223253

It would appear from these photographs that Palm Trees were planted in Bell Street in the 1920s/1930s no doubt some of the 1,000 planted by 1934, however they had been removed by 1957.

Footnote
(1) The Herald, September 29, 1937, see here.

Benevolent Asylum Palms are moved from North Melbourne to Cheltenham

The Melbourne Benevolent Asylum opened in November 1851 in North Melbourne in the block bordered by  Abbotsford, Elm, Curzon and Miller Streets. The objectives of the Institution were to relieve the aged, infirm, disabled or destitute, of all creeds and nations, and to minister to them the comforts of religion. By the 1880s there was a movement to relocate the building from its inner city location to a more rural site. In 1904, 154 acres of land was purchased at Cheltenham; the foundation stone of the new building was laid in 1909 and the inmates began the move to Cheltenham in March 1911. In 1970 the building was renamed the Kingston Centre.

The North Melbourne building was demolished and the grounds cleared for housing; however the palm trees were removed to the new building at Cheltenham. The Weekly Times published these two photographs in July 1911.

Caption: Removing Palms from the Benevolent Asylum, North Melbourne, to the new home at Cheltenham.

Left caption: A Date Palm (Phœnix Canariensis), 25  year old, ready for removal.

Right caption: Getting a  four-ton load under weigh.

Image: Weekly Times, July 15, 1911 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224087433

 A Date Palm (Phœnix Canariensis), 25  year old, ready for removal.

Image: Weekly Times, July 15, 1911 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224087433

Getting a  four-ton load under weigh.

Image: Weekly Times, July 15, 1911 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224087433

The State Library of Victoria has a number of photographs of the Benevolent Asylum in North Melbourne, it was a very imposing building with formal gardens, however I cannot see a Palm Tree in any of the photographs.

Melbourne Benevolent Asylum, c. 1870s.

Photographer: Charles Nettleton. 

State Library of Victoria image H92.375/10

The Cheltenham Benevolent Asylum was, as we said, on 154 acres and some of the land was used for market gardening, which you can clearly see on the left in the photograph below. I can see four palm trees in the photo, whether they are the North Melbourne one or not, I cannot tell.

Aerial view of buildings including Melbourne Benevolent Asylum, Cheltenham, c. 1950s.

Photographer: Airspy.

State Library of Victoria image H2008.32/43. 

 https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/97839

Palm Trees in the same image as above, are circled in blue.

Acknowledgement: The history of the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum comes from the Public Records Office of Victoria http://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VA1278