The Honours Avenue Group volunteers are mostly drawn from the Highgate RSL Sub-Branch and assist the Botanical Gardens and Parks Authority to maintain the individual Honour Plaques lining the designated Honour Avenues in Kings Park, Perth.  The task was first undertaken by volunteers from the West Perth RSL Sub-Branch in November 1922.

The location of Kings Park for the plaques was likely chosen on account of its central location for the Perth metropolitan area, that the precedent for establishing memorials for the fallen in the Park had already been set with the unveiling of the War in South Africa Memorial in 1901, and with initiative from within the Kings Park Board itself.  The Hon. Arthur Lovekin MLC (1859-1931), an original member and second president of the Board, is credited with the creation of the Honour Avenues.

The historical context for the establishment of the Honour Avenues plaques was likely the result of the combination of factors as follows:

  • The concept of an Honour Avenue started in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1917 with the planting of an avenue of trees in memory of the men from the district who had fallen.
  • In consideration of the massive unprecedented casualty numbers and with the establishment of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the decision was taken that the British Empire casualties were to be reinterred into large consolidated cemeteries in the countries in which they fell or otherwise succumbed to death. As the result, most Australian casualties were interred in France, Belgium, on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey and with lesser numbers in Egypt and Britain. Also, the list of those fallen with no known grave was established and they too were also memorialised in the countries in which they fell. Therefore there were to be no official State or local monuments or other memorials to be constructed in Australia other that the national War Memorial to be built in Canberra (that at the time was yet to become the national capital).
  • The age of mass travel was yet to occur which meant that it was largely impractical and massively unaffordable for most families to visit the graves or last known locations of their loved ones who had fallen while overseas.
  • It was by no means certain in the early 1920s that a State War Memorial would be constructed on which a Roll of those fallen would be shown. The 10th Light Horse Regiment Memorial was unveiled on 13 March 1921 and is the only World War I unit memorial to show a Roll of Honour.
  • In the early 1920s, most localities throughout the State, including many suburbs of Perth, began to construct local War Memorials inscribed with local Rolls of Honour. For reasons not readily available, a memorial or memorials for Perth and the inner suburbs of East, North and West Perth appear not to have been contemplated. This apparent lack of action occurred despite each of these locations having significant local Rolls of Honour – Perth (over 1,250 fallen), East Perth (50), North Perth (45), West Perth (39) – that are shown as the Place of Association in the on-line individual record from the Australian War Memorial World War I Roll of Honour. It is therefore likely that at least some of the grieving families from the inner Perth area used the Honour Avenues plaques as the only memorials to their fallen loved ones until the State Memorial was unveiled.

Therefore from 1919 and into the 1920s, it fell to the families and friends of the fallen to initiate and fund individual memorial plaques to be placed on the Honour Avenues, a practice that continues even though the WA State War Memorial has shown a Roll of Honour for the State since 1929 and includes the fallen from all conflicts subsequent to the Great War.

The history of the Honours Avenues and the list of plaques is maintained on the Honour Avenues Kings Park Website.

For further information, please contact the Honour Avenues Group.

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The work of the Honour Avenues Group (HAG) is to place, maintain and refurbish the individual honour plaques in Kings Park that commemorate those men and women who joined the services in Western Australia but were killed or died outside the State.

The first honour plaques were dedicated in May Drive on 3 August 1919 with a further dedication held on 7 November 1920 with both occasions organised by the Kings Park Board.  The conditions for placing a plaque in the Avenue were such that the applicant was required to fully maintain the honour plaque and the surrounding vegetation, including regular watering.  This maintenance requirement soon proved too onerous and the condition of the Avenue rapidly deteriorated.  As the result, a number of ex-Services and community groups volunteered to assist including members from the RSL West Perth Sub-Branch who formed a Committee to undertake the maintenance task, a Committee that has endured to this day.

The Honour Avenues Committee (HAC) was established in November 1922 as an independent Committee of the West Perth Sub-Branch following a donation of 5 Guineas from the RSL Perth (now City of Perth) Sub-Branch to assist with funding the maintenance work (at that time only in May Drive).  The West Perth Sub-Branch consisted of mainly State and Commonwealth Public servants and membership numbers in the 1920s and 1930s were considerable.  The other groups gradually ceased the maintenance task, leaving only the Honour Avenue Committee from the West Perth Sub-Branch active.  In the 1930s, the Kings Park Board recognised the work of this Committee and released a further 100 trees direct to the Committee Secretary, Peter Ross, to manage the application and placement of honour plaques for these trees.

In 1943, the name of the West Perth Sub-Branch was changed to the Public Service Sub-Branch.  The Committee was revived in 1947 by the Public Service Sub-Branch to deal with the administrative matters of new and existing plaques and to receive World War II honour plaques on behalf of the Kings Park Board.  The first post-WWII Dedication Service service was held in 1948 and two later services were held in 1950 and 1952.

The Public Service Sub-Branch was merged with the Press Sub-Branch and then merged with the Highgate Sub-Branch in 1976.  The Committee was later renamed to Group to avoid confusion with the RSL Highgate Committee.

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ROSS Peter Lowe: Secretary November 1922 – 10 October 19394th Broad Gauge Railway Company, WWI (Born Glasgow Scotland 1871 – 10 October 1939)

1939-1947 Committee in Abeyance

PARKS Lionel John: Chair 1947-10 June 1968
44th Battalion, WWI (Born Melbourne VIC 1896 – 22 August 1970)

TODD Arthur Joseph: Chair 10 June 1968 – 6 June 1973

FYFE Wallace Vernon: Chair 6 June 1973 – 11 June 1980
51998 Engineers, WWI (Born Melbourne VIC 1895 – 17 January 1982)

TODD Arthur Joseph: Chair 11 June 1980 – 9 March 1992

KWIECINSKI Bish: Chair 9 March 1992 – 2 March 1999

HEPWORTH Ray: Chair 2 March 1999 – 2 March 2004

MANNERS Norm: Chair 2 March 2004 – 27 March 2018

SLATER Robin: Chair 27 March 2018 –

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The information shown in this section represents the compilation of all available records but unlikely to be complete.  if you have additional information that will improve these records, please contact the Honour Avenues Representative on the Highgate Committee.

ADAMS Ron (1 June 2004 – 23 July 2016)
ALBURY Dick (5 June 2001 – )

BADDOCK Robin John (5 June 2001 – 7 February 2004) (Born c1933 – 8 December 2008)
BEARD Dr J (23 March – 15 June 1970, Kings Park Representative)
BIRCH Helen (25 March 2008 – , Assistant Secretary 27 March 2018 –  )
BOAG Trevor (27 June 2005 – 26 June 2007)
BOYD William Leighton (Treasurer 1947 – 6 December 1976) W67116 (Born Perth WA 30 June 1898 – 22 July 1980)
BRICE Max (Secretary 1947 – 10 June 1968, Secretary 3 March 1971 – 10 March 1997)
BRICE Norman Barton (c1952 – 11 June 1980, President Public Service Sub-Branch 1947) W48481 (Army) (Born Adelaide SA 12 April 1894 – 22 November 1987)
BROOKS Chris (16 February 1995, Assistant Secretary 10 March – 9 June 1997, Secretary 9 June 1997 – 6 March 2002)

CAMPBELL Barry (7 September 2004 – )
CARTER Linnell William Athol (1 March 1960 – 22 March 1961, President Public Service Sub-Branch) 3752 (WWI) W48476 (WWII) (Born Fullarton SA 15 April 1884 – Details Unavailable)
CASTLE J (10 June 1968 – 8 September 1970, Secretary 9 September 1968 – 8 September 1970)
CHAPPLE Chris (21 August 2012 – , Treasurer 26 February 2013 – )
COLEMAN Norm (4 February 2006 – , Assistant Secretary 27 March 2018 – )
COSTIGAN John (7 September 1998 – 9 July 2004)

DADDOW Francis Stanley (Frank) (Treasurer 6 December 1978 – 2 December 1996)
DAVIES C R (Acting Treasurer 2 June – 25 August 1959)
DIGBY Norden (9 March 1998 – 15 July 2016)

EATHER Barry (21 April 2005 – 2021)

FAIRHALL A R (11 July 1962 – 24 November 1969, Kings Park Representative)
FARMER Doug (24 May 2005 – )
FYFE Wallace Vernon (3 March 1971 – 11 June 1980, Chair 6 June 1973 – 11 June 1980) WWI Service (Born 1895 – 17 January 1982)

GELDART Jock (8 March 1993 – 7 June 2000)
GILL Terry (7 September 1998 – 2006)

HALCOMBE Rod (18 June 2011 – , Deputy Chair 25 February 2014 – 27 March 2018)
HANGER Ivor (6 June 1973 – 13 March 1989)
HARNESS Mike (29 March 2011 – , Deputy Chair  27 March 2018 – )
HARVEY Stanley Robert (10 June 1968 -13 June 1979, Secretary 10 June – 9 September 1968) WX2967 (Army) (Born Kalgoorlie WA 7 December 1914 – 5 August 1979)
HARVEY W S (c1955 – 9 December 1959)
HAYLES Harold Benjamin (1947 – c 1955) WWI Service (Born 1884 – 20 June 1958)
HEPWORTH Ray (7 September 1998 – 1 June 2004, Chair 2 March 1999 – 2 March 2004)
HOMER John (29 March 2011 – )
HORTON Tom (2005 – cMay 2005, Treasurer May 2005)
HUMMERSTON Peter (c1999 – 31 August 2015)
HUTCHISON Arthur (29 March 2011 – )

IKIN Len (1980 – cMarch 2000)

JONES Ken (21 October 2002, Assistant Secretary 14 March 2003 – 1 March 2005, Secretary 1 March 2005 – )
JONES Dick (21 April 2005 – )

KWIECINSKI Bish (1 March 1972 – 2 March 1999, Chair 9 March 1992 – 2 March 1999)

LANCE Stan (1 September 1976 – 7 March 1995)
LeFAUCHEUR Frank (23 March 2023 – )
LOW John (10 June 1991 – 5 October 1992)
LONG Barry (7 September 1998 – 6 December 2000)

MANNERS Norm (3 June 2003 – 21 June 2019, Chair 2 March 2004 – 27 March 2015)
MARTIN Brian (5 June 2001 – 19 August 2005, Secretary 3 June 2003 – 1 March 2005, Treasurer 16 May – 19 August 2005)
MAHONEY Peter (16 January 2018 – 2022 , Treasurer 1 July 2021 – 20 May 2022, Died 20 May 2022)
MANSELL-FLETCHER Jodi (2021 – , Web Manager 2021 – )
McROBERTS Jack
(Assistant Secretary 7 September 1998 – c June 1999)
MEREDITH Don (10 June 1991 – 4 December 2002)
MITCHELL Robert (10 June 1991 – 14 March 2003)
MONKS Noel (5 June 2001 – c2008, Secretary 8 March 2002 – 14 March 2003)
MONTAGU Howard (29 September 2009 – cJune 2010)
MORRISON J (26 September 1950 – 23 May 1951 President Public Service Sub-Branch)

NORRIS Bob (27 June 2005 – 5 March 2008)

OFFER Myrven John (26 September 1950 – c1955) 144 (WWI) (Born Benger WA 1898 – 18 October 1982)
O’HALLORAN R (9 March 1964 – 1 April 1968)
OVERHEU Dick (3 June 2003 – 2 December 2003)

PARKS Lionel John (1947 – 15 June 1970, Chair 1947 – 10 June 1968) WWI Service (Born 1896 – 22 August 1970)
PETKOFF Ian (2020 – , Committee 2020 – )

SLATER Robin (2 February 2004, Assistant Secretary 1 March 2005 – 27 March 2018, Chair 27 March 2018 – )
SMITH Clive (2018 – )
SMITH Geoff (30 November 2004 – 2006)
SPRENGER Basil (10 June 1991 – 2005)
STANDRING J H (5 September 1973 – 1 September 1976)
STANDRING William Eric (5 September 1973 – 3 March 1976) Munitions Worker (1898 – 29 January 1987)
STEPHENS Algernon Carlisle (9 December 1959 – 7 June 1972) 10381 (WWI) (Born Moonta SA 1892 – 19 June 1972)
STEWART Les (10 June 1991 – 2005)
SURRIDGE John (14 June 1982 – 7 April 1994, President Highgate Sub-Branch)

ROSS Peter Lowe 1515 (WWI) (1922 – 1939, Secretary 1922 – 1939)

TILL Alf (7 December 1999 – 4 January 2017, Deputy Chair 6 March 2002 – 26 February 2014, Treasurer 20 September 2005 – 26 February 2013)
TILLEY Geoff (2020 – )
TODD Arthur Joseph (1951 – 11 March 1992, Chair 10 June 1968 – 6 June 1973, 11 June 1980 – 11 March 1992)

TOWNSEND E C (29 October 1952 – c1955, President Public Service Sub-Branch)

WARD Ray (Treasurer, August 2022 – )
WATSON J E (1947 – 24 July 1963)
WITTWER W (8 September 1970 – 1 December 1971, Acting Director Kings Park Board)
WOOD Ken (12 June 1995 – 30 November 2004)

Committee Members of the former West Perth and the Public Service Sub-Branch are also likely to have contributed to the Honour Avenues work.

Highgate Member and Honour Avenues Group Assistant Secretary Helen Birch researched the Group and Committee information and complied the list of names for the Nominal Roll shown on this Page using HAG records and information from articles in past editions of The Listening Post.

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