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Mayor's Park
Eastern end of Adelaide Street, c. 1885-1930.
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This park is referred to in a letter to the editor by Philip Webster in 1885. Webster writes in part as in the following paragraph:
Webster:
But what says the rising generation of Fremantle : "We have nice streets and roads, 'Odd Fellows Hall,' 'Masonic Hall,' 'Literary Institute,' 'Grammar School' now rising on the top of Monument Hill, a 'lovely church,' and three Parks, 'The Peoples Park,' 'Wrenfordsley Park' and the 'Mayors Park,' the latter although least, is the last, and only just finished, now awaiting the opening day that the Mayor's name may be engraven in Red, White and Blue, facing ' Adelaide Street,' 'Edward Street' and 'Parry Street.' The first of June is not far distant when the good people of the port are longing to enjoy this gala day. [Italics in original. Foundation Day was at that time celebrated on 1 June.]
The Proclamation Tree in the Mayor's Park (Adelaide Street) was not planted until 1890. The Oddfellows Hall was opened in 1867, the Masonic Hall in 1877, the Literary Institute (the first one, in Cliff Street) in 1868, the Grammar School (top of High Street) in 1885, St John's Church (the second one in Kings Square) in 1882, Fremantle Park in 1879. The Marmion Memorial (the Celtic cross in the photo) was unveiled in 1902.
The mayor in 1885, when Webster wrote to the editor, was Barrington Wood, first mayor of the Municipality of Fremantle. So perhaps it was Wood's name he was looking forward to seeing in Red, White and Blue. However, Daniel Congdon took over the top job in 1886-88 and 1894, followed by Elias Solomon in 1889-91, 1896, and 1900, W.F. Samson in 1892, G.A. Davies in 1895, and James Clark in 1899, etc.
'Cranky Billy', writing to the editor in 1885, did not have a high opinion of The Mayor's Park. He mentions Webster's letter—
Inquirer and Commercial News, Wednesday 3 June 1885, p. 3:
'CRANKY BILLY' ON A WOODEN YARD IN A FREMANTLE STREET.
Sir, — Will you please give me a little room in your papers to ask the Inspector of Nuisances to walk up my way in the North Ward and take down (what some people call) a wooden stockyard, on the top of Adelaide Street. Somebody put up a wood-en fence on this highway ; it looks like Josephson's hen cage, only it has no wire netting over the top. My brother Denny says Webster called it, in another Perth paper, the Mayor's Park, and my brother Frenchy says the Mayor is going to have Barrett down to plant some trees inside, and flowers and greens outside. The side next Wrenfordsley Park and Adelaide Street will be all flowers mixed up, red, white, and blue ; the tother side, next the Priest's house, will be all cabbages, becoz green is good for the eyesight, and the tother end, right in front of parson Roberts' manse, my brother Tom says the Mayor will have all this part planted with orange blossoms, digged in like cooch grass. My brother Bonnor is the oldest of our family and carries the mason's hod when he can get work; he says that Denny, Frenchy, and Tom are all wrong ; it's only a joke about calling this wood-en thing the Mayor's Park. If the Inspector doesn't come up here quick the wood-en fence will be scattered all over the road. The other day the wind sent it all over one side ; and another Nor-wester will finish it. One old householder came to look at it the other day, he said it's shameful to waste the ratepayers' money like this, but he don't care how the Council spends the money, they may let it all go in a heap in the new Town Hall, becoz he will make all his tenants pay the rates like a L.A.M. (B). Another landlord says it's ridiculous to call this wood-en affair the Mayor's Park, but it ought to be sold by auction and cleared away at once. The sand should be carted away and the road macadamised. See what bad streets we have, and no chance of any improvement, as all the Ratepayers' money will fly away in the grand Town Hall ; but I don't care, for I will send the Tax Collector to every tenant, it shall not come out of my pocket. Another landlord was cheeky to the Mayor the other day after he got a big letter tied up in pink tape, full of dignity, from the foreman of the Building Act. This landlord asked the Mayor for the loan of his Park for a hording round his sand and bricks in the back Street, where he is making his house higher, becoz he don't want to be flooded out a second time by the water running from the road.
Mr. Editor, tell your people when they come down from Perth, in their traps, to be very careful in entering Fremantle, as just round Davis's corner you are upon the Mayor's Park in a giffy. We always look out for the Daily News our way, as we like it better than the tother papers, and father's eyes are bad, so I read all the news to cheer him up in the evening. I now finish and sign my name just as everybody calls me,
CRANKY BILLY.
Fremantle, May 27.
Lottie Elton's excellent article was published in the Fremantle Herald, 17 July 2020. She was right to be puzzled about the Park being mentioned in 1930 in the past tense, despite the commemorative plaque being placed under the tree in that year, in December, as it was only earlier in the same year, in February, that it was decided that the Park had to go to leave more room for vehicular traffic.
The plaque was stolen in about 2022, but was replaced about a year later by a facsimile which is almost identical to the original.
West Australian, 25 December 1930, p. 20:
A MEMORIAL OF RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.
On December 18, a tablet, provided by scholars of the Fremantle Boys' School, was unveiled by the Mayor of Fremantle (Mr. F. E. Gibson) near a Moreton Bay fig tree which was planted in 1890 to celebrate the granting of responsible government to Western Australia. The tree is in what was known at Mayor's Park, Fremantle.
West Australian, Thursday 18 December 1930, p. 14:
A FIG TREE'S HISTORY.
Commemoration Ceremony To-day
Forty years ago the granting of responsible government to the Colony of Western Australia was celebrated by two public ceremonies, one at Perth and one at Fremantle. In Perth, on the Esplanade, the Governor of the day (Sir William Robinson) proclaimed the beginning of the new regime on October 21, 18810, and on the following day, at Fremantle, a Moreton Bay fig tree was planted which was destined in after years to become one of the landmarks of the district.
The ceremony is well remembered by old residents of Fremantle, many of whom were scholars at the Fremantle Boys' School at the time. One of the scholars, Mr. Frank Shaw, who is now the manager of the State Implement and Engineering Works, recalled yesterday the planting of the tree. It was prepared, he said, by Mr. Phillip Webster, who was at that time regarded as the horticultural authority of the town, and was planted by the Governor on a small triangle of land which was known as Mayor's Park, and which now contains the Edward Marmion monument. The students of the Fremantle schools were trained to provide vocal items by Mr. Hugh Dickson, who is now Sir Hugh Denison, ex-Trade Commissioner for Australia in the United States, and who passed through Fremantle on his way to Melbourne on the mailboat Maloja on Tuesday. The first song was well-known as the Australian National Anthem in those days, and the first verse ran as follows:—
Australia's sons, your flag unfurl,
And proudly wave your banners high,
That every nation may behold
Your glorious standards in the sky.
Unfurl the flag, that all may see
Our proudest boast is liberty.
The tree during the 40 years which have elapsed, has flourished in keeping with the growth of the State, and although it is well-known as a landmark, there are few other than the old residents who realise its significance. To perpetuate its identity the scholars of the Fremantle Boys' School have arranged to provide a tablet, which will be unveiled near the tree, at 3 o'clock this afternoon. During the past week a number of the boys attended the Implement Works, where, under the guidance of Mr. Shaw, they constructed the tablet. All the residents, particularly those who were at the school at the time, are invited to witness this afternoon's ceremony, which will be performed by the Mayor of Fremantle (Mr. F. E. Gibson). There will be a large muster of school children, who will be addressed by Dr. Battye.
The Park was removed in 1930, in favour of traffic:
West Australian Saturday 1 Feb 1930:
FREMANTLE IMPROVEMENTS
To make the locality safer for traffic the small reserve round the Edward Marmion Memorial is being abolished. The statue and the tree will be allowed to remain, and around them a small kerbing be built. The Moreton Bay fig tree was planted by Governor Sir William Robinson, on October 1, 1890, to mark the establishment of a responsible Government.
References and Links
The top photo (of unknown provenance) shows the Mayor's Park shortly after the unveiling of the Marmion Memorial when the Proclamation Tree was about ten years old.
The bottom article and image are from the Fremantle Herald, 17 July 2020.
West Australian, 11 May, 1885, p. 3.
ADB entry for William Marmion by R.T. Appleyard, 1986—another source of the name of the Mayor's Park.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 8 July, 2020 and hosted at freotopia.org/parks/mayors.html (it was last updated on 25 February, 2024), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.