In 1918 at the close of the World War I the President of the Oamaru Beautifying Society Dr Alexander Douglas proposed the North Otago Memorial Oaks Scheme as a tribute to the fallen.‘...along the sides of roads single trees or small groups of trees should be planted at intervals of a mile, and that each tree should have affixed the necessary protecting fence, a plate or tablet with the name of the fallen soldier and further that the tree to be selected should be the British Oak.’By 1919 when Viscount Jellicoe unveiled the Scheme, 400 trees had been planted across North Otago. The plantings radiated outwards from the oak tree planted for Sergeant Donald Forrester Brown VC at the junction of Wansbeck and Severn Streets. Over time many of the trees have died, been damaged or removed to make way for roads and power lines. In 1991 the Memorial Oaks Committee was formed to save the remaining trees and to promote the Scheme. This installation has been created from memorial plaques removed or recovered from damaged trees and now held in the North Otago Museum. The smaller plaques were made by John Swan & Co. engravers of Dunedin and placed by the Oamaru Borough Council. The larger plaques were placed by the Waitaki County Council across the wider North Otago district. The two councils amalgamated in 1989 to form the Waitaki District Council. The story of the Memorial Oaks Scheme is recorded in the book ‘Mighty Oaks: from tiny acorns grow’ by Robert L. Douglas. This exhibition will continue until 30 June 2015.
Forrester Gallery