Seed of an idea to honour locals gathers momentum

  • 2019-11-22
Essendon’s local legends could be honoured with a palm tree in their name if a proposal put to Moonee Valley Council recently gains support.

The idea by Cr. Richard Lawrence would see 143 of the Canary Island variety of palm trees located between Leake and Shamrock streets in Mount Alexander Road named after some of the community’s most notable present and past residents.

As part of the proposal, a plaque displaying the person’s name and other information will be featured at each tree’s base for all to read.

According to Cr. Lawrence, the idea is to name five palm trees each year to provide an element of excitement for the annual dedication, which would not only celebrate the area’s people but also the unique collection of date palms.

The palms are believed to be about 90 years old and were planted following duplication of the tram lines along Mount Alexander Road.

Such events have often been mentioned in history accounts published using local printing services.

The Mount Alexander Road Canary Island palms are also the largest and longest single planting of its kind in Victoria and were described by Cr. Lawrence as being an “Essendon landmark.”

He said the outstanding community members have included Steve Irwin, Sam Merrifield and Frank Little, just to name a few. The next step will be to present a more detailed report of the proposed project to council for further consideration.