A memorial park in Brisbane devastated during severe storms will be restored before Anzac Day.
Trees lining Graceville Memorial Park off Oxley Road in Chelmer were planted in tribute to soldiers and a nurse from the area killed in World War I, and a nearby cenotaph commemorates their service.
Several trees were brought down during storms in late October, and other planted areas had fallen into disrepair in recent years.
“It’s been a battle,” Tennyson ward councillor Nicole Johnston said.
“Residents who live along the park, they’re very proud of it, they’ve lived here for a long time, and this is a beautiful place.
“This is a beloved and well-used sport and recreation park … and it is not being looked after.”
The field is home to sports clubs including Taylor Bridge Rugby, South West United Hockey Club, Graceville Croquet Club and Western Suburbs District Cricket Club.
Johnston raised the state of the park with Brisbane City Council on February 3, pushing for restoration work to be done by Anzac Day.
“The problem is this has gotten so big because of all the missing trees, the mess, the lack of general maintenance,” she said.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said work was planned to be finished before the April 25 commemorations.
Five new heritage hibiscus trees would be planted along Plumridge Street and Appel Street. Garden beds would be mulched, and about 350 metres of coir logs would be replaced.
“Recent severe weather has taken a toll on some of the plantings, but we are carefully restoring and replanting to ensure the park’s legacy endures,” Schrinner said.
“This is about more than maintenance, it’s about preserving a sacred place of remembrance for families and future generations.”
The original 52 memorial trees were planted more than a century ago, in 1919.
The Queensland government said some were replaced in 20th century after vandalism.
A trophy field gun captured in France in August 1918 was placed nearby from the early 1920s, until its removal before 1952.
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