The original Collie Honour Avenue was established on Sunday 15th May, 1921, as an integral part of a larger, sophisticated ceremony, to unveil the foundations for the proposed construction of a tall granite monument. (The Collie War Memorial was officially opened on Sunday 4th September that same year.)
On that day, a procession, composed chiefly of the Collie Brass Band, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and children from the various Sunday Schools marched from the Mechanics Institute to Soldiers’ Park, under the marshal for the day Mr Ernie Walker, President of the local branch of the Returned Servicemen’s League (RSL). Mayor Harry King presided over the
ceremony and the Governor Sir Francis Newdegate laid the foundation stone of the Collie Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial in the presence of Lady Newdegate, Minister for Works Mr W. J. George, Leader of the State Opposition Mr P. Collier, the Bishop of Bunbury Rev Cecil Wilson, returned soldiers and a large assembly of residents. During his speech the Governor noted that 1200 men had enlisted from the Collie district, of whom 400 had been wounded and 120 were killed.

Following several speeches interspersed with hymns, and the laying of the foundation stone for the proposed War Memorial, the Governor then inaugurated the Honour Avenue by planting the first tree.
A further 99 trees were planted to honour the sacrifice of soldiers from the district, who had perished in service during WW1.
The order of the plantings had been arranged previously by the Committee with a draw of soldiers’ names and an allocation of a number based on the order of the draw.
As the numbers were called out, one of the parents, or a relative, or friend of the deceased soldier, took possession of the tree and proceeded to plant it.
The only departure from this fair approach, was in the case of two or more members of one family being killed. When one of those names was drawn, the next number was allotted the other family member so they would be together. There were two cases of two brothers being killed and one of three. Plaques, or tablets, were to be made stating name, regimental number, battalion and place and date of death, to mark each tree. Source: Collie Mail (Perth WA), Friday 20 May 1921, page 5
Tree No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
Rank
Pte
Pte
Cpl
2nd Lieut
Pte
Gunner
L. Cpl
Pte
Pte
Lieut
Act. Bmdr
Pte
Sgt
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Driver
Pte
Pte
Pte
Lieut
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Sgt Major
Pte
Pte
Pte
L. Cpl
Pte
Lieut
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
CSM
Pte
Cpl
Cpl
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Sgt
Sgt
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
?
L. Cpl
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
L. Cpl
Pte
Pte
Pte
Lieut
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Gunner
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Pte
Initials
PD
W
A
AN
J
R
CR
F
WH
JF
SS
E
L
J
JA
JA
JDD
J
R
RA
W
LM
H
G
D
T
D
N
M
A
E
G
A
WJ
R
J
A
E
J
GR
JL
AC
T
G
N
CJ
W
J
E
E
F
A
A
M
G
T
WN
L
JA
R
AW
G
JC
A
TC
W
T
HA
?
B
D
AS
W
D
F
FW
F
J
P
G
JL
E
C
P
W
CH
J
J
FR
WG
J
NL
AC
F
HW
RL
W
E
JW
JT
Last Name
Barrett
Jones
McCaughan
Lintott
Lamb
Houston
Palmer
Aylett
Wing
Stuart-Sinclair
Stuart-Sinclair
Stuart-Sinclair
Oliver
Pritchard
Woodall
Briggs
Morrison
Devon
Devon
Smith
Kenny
Read
Cain
Forward
Hunter
Olsen
McGeachie
Macaulay
Pitcher
Little
Knights
Lamerton MC
Forth
Williams
Cassidy
McLeod
Inglis
Ozanne
McCullagh
Benton
Thomas
Hamill
Hughes
Hough
Coote
Patterson
Kenning
Horrocks
Horrocks
Archer
Dudley
Deans
O’Neil
Morris
Flint
McLean
Hanssen
Hanssen
Marsden
Mildwaters
Howard
Gane
Robb
Herrington
Grist
Hendry
Biggleston
Hunter
?
Samson
Samson
Collins
Whiteaker
Shanks
Westen
Taylor
Ghilotti
Christenger
Clarke
Campbell
Watson
Thompson
Quarrell
Quarrell
Carson
Cusworth
McCabe
Rogers
Webb
Shepherd
Miller
Foster
Redgrave
Applequist
Doyle
Lawless
Ashton
Cornell
Annandale
Gibbs
Tree Planted By
father
brother
brother
friend
cousin
father
brother-in-law
sister
friend
friend
friend
friend
friend
friend
friend
Mrs D Coleman
mother
sister
sister
friend
friend
mother
mother
friend
cousin
friend
father
cousin
mother
friend
friend
wife
friend
brother
brother
wife
friend
uncle
friend
friend
friend
mother
mother
friend
wife
friend
friend
friend
friend
friend
niece
wife
sister
friend
friend
friend
step-father
step-father
friend
mother-in-law
friend
friend
sister
friend
brother-in-law
sister-in-law
mother
brother
friend
friend
friend
friend
brother
friend
friend
friend
mother
mother
mother
niece
friend
mother
mother
sister
cousin
friend
friend
friend
mother
son-in-law
brother
mother
mother
friend
mother
friend
friend
friend
friend
wife
It is interesting to note, that immediately prior to the ceremony to officially unveil the Collie War Memorial later that year, on Sunday 4 September 1921, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides marched to Soldiers Park, from the residence of the local MLA, A. A. Wilson, and took up position at the various trees in the Honour Avenue, ‘so as to protect them from injury’.
At some point in time it was decided to remove the mature trees, and they were not replaced. Remarkably, all but 6 of the original plaques accompanying the 100 trees planted in May 1921, were salvaged.
CLICK HERE to view the Honour Roll of salvaged Plaques.
These plaques form a wall-mounted display at the Coalfields Museum and Historical Research Centre, 161 Throssell Street, Collie, WA.
Fallen Soldier’s Park

Soldiers’ Park, Collie is one of numerous War Memorials established in rural towns in Western Australia in the years immediately following the end of World War One and demonstrates Australia’s domestic response to this war and later conflicts. Of particular note is the number of memorial forms located together in one Memorial Park:
an obelisk and a former honour avenue (1921), memorial gates (1929 – coinciding with the State’s Centenary), rose gardens (1990), a and a memorial to Aboriginal servicemen (2000).
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and Private Ken Sketchley, who died in 1950 as the first Australian soldier killed in the Korean War.
Soldiers’ Park, Collie has been the focus of Anzac Day services in Collie from 1922 to the present and has associations with families of the many local residents who served and died during World Wars One and Two and other conflicts, to whom the memorials pay tribute. It is a well maintained and treasured part of the Collie township.
Soldiers’ Park, is valued for its picturesque parkland setting, which includes the Commemorative Arch and Gates entry on the west corner, leading into an Avenue lined with mature Camphor Laurel Trees; then on to the formal layout of the War Memorial, in the broader grassed park with Pepper Trees bounding the Collie River embankment and interspersed along both street frontages, with various other mature plantings including Camphor Laurel, Queensland Box and Eucalypts.
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