The Honour Avenues Group are a small but committed team of volunteers who meticulously maintain almost two thousand plaques in Kings Park on behalf of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority.

Kings Park and Botanic Garden in Perth has more honour avenues, memorials and statues than any other park in Australia. These important places of remembrance require significant upkeep every year to ensure that they receive the care and respect that they deserve.

Lovekin Drive dedication, 1950. Photo: BGPA

Past

The planting of trees as a dedication to individual service personnel who gave their lives while serving their countries in time of war seems to be an Australian innovation, originating in Ballarat, Victoria. The idea was taken up in Kings Park by Mr Arthur Lovekin, an original member of the Kings Park Board with the first 404 dedications along May Drive occurring at a ceremony on 3 August 1919. Requests for new plaques continued and Lovekin Drive was added as an honour avenue in 1931, followed by Marri Walk in 1999.

Honour Avenue Group volunteers. Photo: BGPA

Present

Hundreds of dedication plaques line Kings Park's honour avenues, poignantly set against a backdrop of eucalypt trees. The plaques have been carefully maintained by the Honour Avenues Group for many years. Service personnel are remembered along May Drive, Lovekin Drive and Marri Walk while a unique set of plaques line Fraser Avenue, dedicated to state officials during the 1929 Centenary of Western Australia. Two online databases provide further details including photographs, location maps and life stories of these precious plaques.

Solomon dedication, Kings Park. Photo: D. Nicolson

Future

Plaques are added to Kings Park's Honour Avenues during regular dedication services held at May Circle, with a limit of 12 new plaques per service. Services are held a few times each year and sadly there are still thousands of Western Australian service personnel who qualify for a plaque with no known grave in the State. With a limited number of trees and space existing along the avenues, plaques are sometimes moved to be placed together; these are often family members or unit comrades.