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Avenue and Arch: Ballarat’s Commemoration How are community attitudes to war and peace reflected in the civic management of the Avenue of Honour and the Arch of Victory? Philip McKenzie Roberts This thesis is submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Education and Arts Federation University P.O. Box 663 University Drive, Mount Helen Ballarat, Victoria, 3353 Australia Submitted for examination 24 May 2018 Abstract This thesis examines the importance of memory, commemoration, heritage and militarism in relation to Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour and Arch of Victory. Inspired by Ken Inglis and other historians who have analysed war commemoration, the thesis argues that, led by the Lucas clothing company, Ballarat civic leaders and community members commemorated the war service and sacrifice of local soldiers, airmen, sailors and nurses by planting the 22-kilometre Avenue during 1917–19 and by constructing the prominent Arch in 1920. Although Ballarat voted against conscription in 1916 and 1917 and was a ‘divided’ society, the Avenue and Arch were able to unite members of the local community. From the 1920s, through memory and mythology during the civic maintenance of the Avenue and Arch, Australian community attitudes to war and peace were reflected, and a determined effort was made to remember the service and sacrifice of military personnel for all Australian wars. Discussion of the need for peace remained in the background until recent years. Important influences on the civic management were the collective memory of the so-called Lucas Girls, a group of former female employees of the Lucas clothing company, and of the members of the Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour Committee. Increasingly, the embracing of the Anzac legend and an emphasis on loss and grief was reflected in the civic management. By 2017 the Avenue and Arch were in pristine condition and, through the Garden of the Grieving Mother, had transformed to symbolise the importance of remembering the sacrifices and grief of war and the need for peace. The project was based on documentary research and oral history, using an examination of newspaper and other documentary accounts from 1917–2017, a study of Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour Committee papers and conservation management plans, research of relevant books and articles, landscape fieldwork and interviews with 26 people. Ethics Approval Principal Researcher: Dr Anne Beggs-Sunter Other/Student Researcher/s: Mr Phil Roberts School/Section: Faculty of Education and Arts Project Number: A15-104 Project Title: ‘Avenue and Arch: Ballarat Commemoration.’ ‘How are attitudes to peace and war reflected in the history of the Avenue and Arch?’ For the period: 26/06/2015 to 01/12/2017 Quote the Project No. A15-104 in all correspondence regarding this application. Please note: Ethics Approval is contingent upon the submission of annual progress reports and a final report upon completion of the project. It is the responsibility of researchers to make a note of the following dates and submit these reports in a timely manner, as reminders may not be sent out. Failure to submit reports will result in your ethics approval lapsing. REPORTS TO HREC: Annual reports for this project must be submitted to the Ethics Officer on: 26 June 2016 26 June 2017 A final report for this project must be submitted to the Ethics Officer on: 1 January 2018 These report forms can be found at: http://federation.edu.au/research-and-innovation/research-support/ethics/human-ethics/human- ethics3 Fiona Koop Ethics Officer 26 June 2015 Acknowledgements I wish to express my gratitude to the academic and support staff at Federation University who provided assistance in many ways. Throughout the research and writing of this thesis I have received invaluable advice and very strong support from the principal supervisor Dr Anne Beggs- Sunter. Likewise, the associate supervisor Associate Professor Jacqueline Wilson has assisted through her insightful comments and advice. I have benefited a great deal from the seminar program for doctoral candidates. At the stage of applying for ethics approval during 2015, the support and advice of Associate Professor Jim Sillitoe and Dr Jenene Burke were most valuable. I thank the staff and volunteers for their generous assistance at libraries and at the archive centres. This includes at the Federation University Mount Helen and SMB Libraries, the Ballarat Public Records Office, the Australiana Room at the Ballarat Municipal Library, the State Library of Victoria, the Ballarat City Council Archives and the Ballarat Historical Society Archive Collection housed at the Gold Museum. The newspaper collection and other archival material at the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute was a rich source of information. The members of the Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour Committee have provided valuable assistance with information about the history of the Avenue and the Arch and of the Lucas connection to this thesis. In particular, Bruce Price, Jeremy Johnson, Paul Jenkins, Dr Ross Squire, Garry Snowden, Noel Perry, David Grant and Debra Cartledge have been very helpful As a colleague, Dr Joan Hunt has assisted collaboratively and with advice and Lyn Moore provided editorial advice. Finally, I acknowledge the support of my family members and, in particular, my wife Geraldine, who has been a constant and valuable source of support in countless ways. Table of Contents List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix Glossary ............................................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1: OVERVIEW ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Preamble .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Content and Scope ..................................................................................................... 2 1.3 The Purpose and Rationale ........................................................................................ 5 1.4 Theory ........................................................................................................................ 6 1.5 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 10 1.6 Outline of Chapters .................................................................................................. 13 1.7 Contribution ............................................................................................................. 1 4 Chapter 2: MEMORY, COMMEMORATION AND HERITAGE ............................ 15 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 15 2.2 Theoretical Basis ...................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Australian World War One Commemoration .......................................................... 28 2.4 Australian Commemoration of Subsequent Wars .................................................... 46 2.5 Ballarat Commemoration ......................................................................................... 49 2.6 Commemorative Avenues and Arches ..................................................................... 56 Chapter 3: BALLARAT COMMEMORATION .......................................................... 62 3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 62 3.2 Memorials in Ballarat............................................................................................... 64 3.3 Development of a City ............................................................................................. 67 3.4 Ballarat in World War One ...................................................................................... 74 3.5 Ballarat War Commemoration ................................................................................. 87 Chapter 4: THE AVENUE OF HONOUR .................................................................. 100 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 100 4.2 The Origins of Avenues of Honour ....................................................................... 102 4.3 Early World War One Tree Planting ..................................................................... 106 4.4 War Commemoration during World War One ...................................................... 113 4.5 The Origins of Ballarat’s Avenue .......................................................................... 118 vi 4.6 Planting the Avenue in 1917 .................................................................................. 124 4.7 Planting the Avenue in 1918–19 ............................................................................ 133 4.8 Summary ................................................................................................................ 139 Chapter 5: THE ARCH OF VICTORY ...................................................................... 144 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 144 5.2 Origins of the Arch ...............................................................................................
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