The community of Tullamarine, Victoria, has laid a plaque to honour one of the area’s most dedicated pioneers.
The posthumous honour bestowed upon Alexander Hansen Rasmussen, who locals called Alec, comes 60 years after his death.
The former Tullamarine teacher was described by family tree researcher Ray Gibb as being among three of Tullamarine’s great leaders, which also included Major Murphy and Leo Dineen.
He said Mr Rasmussen was not one to sit back and wait for things to happen.
As secretary of the local progress association, for example, he suggested the purchase of 2.5ha of land in Melrose Drive, now the site of Tullamarine Reserve, for gifting to what was formerly known as the Shire of Broadmeadows in 1929 specifically for recreational purposes.
Between 1909 and 1911, he was also behind three community picnics and contributed 20 years of his life to teaching children at the local school.
Flyer printing by the council alerted residents to a 2012 proposal by Mr Gibbs to rename Tullamarine Reserve to Alec Rasmussen Reserve.
However, councillors decided instead to install the plaque in his honour at the reserve.
The move was welcomed by Elayne Whatman from the Broadmeadows Historical Society, who said Mr Rasmussen had made a major contribution, especially in the area of helping financially disadvantaged students gain a proper education.
