King Charles III gets his own tree at Diamond Park
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King Charles III gets his own tree at Diamond Park
Murray Bridge Mayor Wayne Thorley has planted a tree to honour the coronation of King Charles earlier this year.
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Murray Bridge councillors and council staff have gathered to watch Mayor Wayne Thorley upturn dirt on a tree and reveal a plaque to honour the coronation of King Charles III.
Mayor Thorley said that the council had unanimously voted on the commemorative tree planting and plaque over the alternative: lighting up the town hall in blue.
“We’d like a more-lasting recognition of the coronation,” he said.
“We thought this would be more appropriate, and Diamond Park is probably the prettiest garden in Murray Bridge, I’d say.”
Cr Fred Toogood, who recalled that Diamond Park had once had a rotunda and a live peacock on display, appreciated the planting.
“I think it’s nice to mark the coronation of King Charles the third, and it’ll be something we can watch grow,” he said.
Cr Karen Eckermann had mixed feelings about the meaning of the planting.
“I’m not sure if I’m a monarchist or not, but anything towards the greening of Murray Bridge and planting trees, I’m in favour of,” she said.
Council arborist Ian Millard did the preparation for the planting of the tree, a claret ash, planted around 20 metres from one planted for Queen Elizabeth II.
“The tree chosen for the Queen’s jubilee was a claret ash, so we decided to replicate that,” he said.
After the ceremony, Mr Millard flattened the earth with a different shovel, joking that the one used for plantings was the “ceremonial shovel” and didn’t do any real work.
King Charles III gets his own tree at Diamond Park
Murray Bridges Central Park was created in 1897 to Honour the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria which was officially celebrated on the 22nd. June 1897,
( 60th. anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne.), hence Diamond Park.
The design of the park pathways with one from each corner combining in the centre of the park with a diamond shaped pathway around the Rotunda that was built in the centre of the Park. The Rotunda was completed with a below ground basement for the Mobilong (now Murray Bridge) Town Band's use. The Rotunda was used regularly for official occasions, Band recitals and Christmas celebrations over many years until its timber structure deteriorated and the Council of the Day ignored volunteers plea to repair it and moved in during the night and demolished it, pushing all stone work into the basement thus destroying the Town Band's home. The Murray Bridge & District Historical Society made an application for Year 2000 Federal Funding to return the Rotunda to its original position in Diamond Park but was unable to gain "In Kind Support" from Council at that time and the funding went elsewhere. Some current Councillors of the Rural City of Murray Bridge, I believe, have tried to push for a Rotunda to be returned to Diamond Park but, thus far, have been unsuccessful.