Paul Harris' First Vist to Austalia in 1935
On his visit to Brisbane in 1935, Rotary's
founder, Paul Harris, planted an American pine tree in the
grounds of the Montrose Home for Crippled Children at Taringa.
The home moved to Corinda in March 1938; and the Rotary Club of
Brisbane West used the trunk of this tree for the making of
Rotary ornaments (1970-71), and they placed the bole of the tree
with a suitable message in the entrance of the new Montrose
Home.
Arnold Bennett's book "Rotary in Queensland"
(1980) on page 129
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The Brisbane "Friendship Tree" is remembered
The living tree does not exist today. The
original site of the Montrose Home where it was planted in 1935
is now the Kingsholme Apartments (180-190 Swann Road, Taringa),
prestige blocks of units with great city views. Part of the tree
trunk, fossilised and with an identifying plaque, remains on
display ...
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Montrose Queensland Society for Crippled Children
....within the entrance area of the Montrose
Queensland Society for Crippled Children administration
building, Consort Street, Corinda. It may be viewed Monday to
Friday between 8.00 am and 4.30 pm: the building is un-manned
and locked after hours.
Courtesy of: Col Morwood,
Rotary
Information Officer, District 9600
More on the Montrose Home can be seen at the
Brisbane page, noted below.**
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Paul and Jean attend a conference in Melbourne in
March of 1935
Here Paul met with
District 65 Governor Angus Mitchell, later to be the first RI
president from Australia in 1948. Paul and Jean both spoke at
the conference and visited several cities while staying in
Melbourne.
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Memories of other trees
Paul recalls the first tree planted in his own
"Friendship Garden" was in honor of the late Walter Drummond,
second secretary of Melbourne. "..Many good will trees have been
planted by Rotarians, including myself, in other cities in other
countries, and many more doubtless will be planted, but the
first of them all was Walter's tree." (Peregrinations II page
94)
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Plaque Dedicated to Founder Harris and Past
President Angus Mitchell
"Jean and I planted
"trees" in a public park near a tree planted by Past
International President Sydney Pascall (1931, RC London) and I
laid a wreath at the magnificent war memorial." Perigrinations
Volume II copyright Jean Harris 1935
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Canberra 1935
Paul Harris (far left) in 1935.
Also seen are Sir Robert Garran (Charter President), DG Angus
Mitchell (RI President 1948-49), DG Tom Armstrong, and Mrs. Jean
Harris in the Australian National Rose Garden in Canberra. (The
rest of the people are unidentified.)
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Canberra 2002
Paul and Jean's tree! "From a
tiny acorn..."
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Harris in Newcastle 1935
In 1935, Paul Harris visited
Newcastle and planted a tree in Civic Park, opposite the City
Hall, to commemorate the District Conference that he attended.
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Newcastle tree across from city hall
The District Governor at the
time was Tom Armstrong, a past president of the Rotary Club of
Newcastle. In his book, “Peregrinations”, written after his
Pacific journey, Paul Harris referred to his visit to Newcastle
in glowing terms.
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Tree at Parramatta -- planted in 1935
District 9600 DG (Brisbane) William H.C.
Dethlefs and Noela in 2002. DG Bill is from RC of Maroochydore.
His district includes Brisbane, site of the 2003 RI convention.
Also, note above, Paul Harris' essay from Parramatta, District
9690. The tree is located in Prince Alfred Park on the corner of
Victoria Road and Church Street, Parramatta. Photo courtesy of
the Rotary Foundation.
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Harris visits North Sydney in 1935
On 14 March 1935 the Club welcomed Paul
Harris, the Founder of Rotary, to its meeting following which he
planted a memorial tree (Queensland fire-wheel) in nearby St
Leonards Park, after which a photograph recording the occasion
was taken in the grandstand of North Sydney Oval next door.
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1935 Planting at Sydney
The Rotary Hourglass
writes: Jean and Paul. From Sydney, Australia writes Past
Director Fred Birks of Founder Paul and Jean Harris: (beside the
picture) "It is not anything of news value to say that they have
captivated our people. In all my life, I never met a woman who
so quietly makes herself loved by other women. My typist met her
only a few minutes and remarked that 'She is the sweetest woman
I ever met'."
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Dedication in 1949
In September 1949, when the
tree was some 15 years old (it still lives into the 21st
century), following the death of Paul Harris in January 1947, a
commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the tree.
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Dedication of the tree in 1949, continued
A second fire-wheel tree was
planted nearby in August 1978 by the then R.I. President, Clem
Renouf, on the occasion of the Club’s Golden Anniversary.
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Launceston 1935
In 1931/32 RI President Sydney W. Pascall
visited the Launceston and planted a tree of friendship in Royal
Park. Paul Harris also visited and planted a similar tree in the
same park in 1935. The photo above is the Paul Harris Friendship
Tree in 2002
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Bendigo Circa 1936
Paul and Jean Harris and others standing
around a tree dedicated to the Rotary Club of Bendigo,
Australia. Used in the February 1937 and June 1942 issue of The
Rotarian.
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Auckland revisited 1983
District 9920 Governor Edmund
Lenthall and 1982-1983 RI President Hiroji Mukasa visiting a
tree planted in Auckland, New Zealand by Paul Harris in 1935.
Used in the February 1983 issue of The Rotarian. Use granted by
Edmund Lenthall 13 February 2002
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Auckland marker 1935
Marker for "tree of friendship" planted in
Auckland, New Zealand in 1935 by Paul Harris. Used in the
February 1983 issue of The Rotarian.
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Hobart Tree, 1935
Paul Harris planted a tree in St. David's Park
in Hobart on 27 March 1935. The tree was severely damaged by
winds in 2004 and had to be cut down. The Hobart City Council
replaced it around September 2004. It is into autumn here so
there are not many leaves left.
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Original Hobart Plaque
The tree was planted on 27 March 1935 in St.
David's Park in Hobart. The Park is inner city, very pleasant
with a lot of trees and lawns. The memorial plaque is still
there.
Your in Rotary
Roger Sewell
Secretary
Rotary Club in Hobart.
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