History: Anzac Park, from dumpsite to garden reserve

BY ROBYN PARKES

An acre of land opposite Saltwater Bridge has, with research, brought up a number of stories as to its original ownership.

Mr J Piper, in a 1919 report, stated that an old settler, Isaac Hill, told him it was originally owned by a retired Queens Proctor and afterwards purchased by Captain Milton for £400, with the land being named Milton’s Acre.

Another version was that Mr Burke who had taken up a section of 150 acres at Brightwater was also entitled to an acre of land in town under the early settlement arrangements. In the mid 1840’s, Burke informed Mary Ann MacKenzie, nee Davis, whom Burke had been a witness at her marriage, that he would give her that acre of land.

However, in attempting to put it into writing they could not find pen and ink so Burke said he would catch up on his next visit to Nelson and they could sort it out then. Unfortunately, he drowned in the river when returning home to Brightwater, so the verbal arrangement was voided. After that, Milton acquired the acre.

Milton’s Acre was then purchased by the council, amid some opposition, in December 1899, with one councillor predicting that when it was filled in and improved it would be worth £1000 and therefore a good investment but the reality was that it became a dumping site.

With criticism from the public that it was unsightly and gave a bad first impression for those visiting the town, the council had the land cleared and made into a reserve for the public and it was beautifully landscaped with paths and flower beds to be enjoyed by all.

In late 1915 as World War 1 gripped the world, the city council turned their thoughts towards a memorial site. Cr Hampson brought forward the matter asking that, at the close of the war, a monument should be raised to the memory of the soldiers who had gone from Nelson and never returned in giving their life for the cause of freedom. He felt that Milton’s Acre was the most suitable site and moved that the name be changed to Anzac Park. With the Mayor in agreeance, the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

The park was a great improvement to the entrance to the town and large numbers of people enjoyed the grounds to walk, sit and rest in. Monte Carlo palms were planted at the park on each side of the main footway. In 1917, the head gardener, Mr Large, planted beds of canna lilies, scarlet salvia, petunias, and dahlias.

Unfortunately, vandalism was a problem to be dealt with. Gardens were destroyed, plants stolen, seats smeared with paint and palms were pulled out in a number of separate incidences.

In 1924, a number of ladybirds were released in the park in a bid to remedy the blight on wattle trees and the following year, the park was the site for a demonstration of what a motor lawn mower was capable of doing.

Anzac Park became a place that belonged to all Nelsonians where pleasurable and also sombre events were held.

In 1945, a member of the public wrote an appreciation note in the newspaper stating – ‘Anzac Park is a picture worthy of anyone making a special trip to this corner of the city to see its beauty’.