Monuments and Memorials
Written by Graham Wilson
Australian theme- Developing local, regional and national economies.
NSW Theme- environment- cultural landscape.
Local Themes- activities associated with interaction between humans and the interaction with their physical surroundings.
Landscape types, national park, nature reserve, rose garden, market garden, avenue of trees, plantation and streetscape qualities.
Australian Themes- marking the phases of life.
NSW Theme- birth and death.
Local Themes- Private and public hospitals, maternity hospitals, baby health clinic, nursing home, funeral parlour, grave furnishings, cemetery and memorial plantings.
Australian Themes- marking the phases of life.
NSW Theme- persons.
Local Themes- activities of and associations with individuals, families and communal groups.
Monument to an individual or group, family home, place of residence, statues, commemorative place name, place dedicated to the memory of a person (eg a hospital wing).
Australian Theme- developing local, regional and national economies.
NSW Theme- events.
Local Themes- sequence of natural and cultural occurrences.
Monument, memorial, honour board, war, boundary, places of celebration and commemoration.
Bingara Orange Trees
The Bingara orange trees in Finch Street, Bingara are a living memorial to Bingara’s fallen in two World Wars. A special ceremony outside the RSL Club for the Bingara Orange Festival, marks the beginning of the annual harvest. The Orange Festival is usually held at the end of July, the first week of August and on the first Saturday of August.
A plaque states:
The Finch Street orange trees
were
planted in memory
of Bingara Service men and women
who gave their lives
in World Wars 1 and 2
The Bingara Orange Festival is a community project organised by the Bingara Arts Council, involving all community service clubs, schools, business organizations, sporting clubs and associations. The Festival coincides with the picking of oranges from the memorial trees by Bingara school children for distribution to the hospital and Aged Care Hostel.
During the 1950s an avenue of Valencia orange trees was planted along Finch Street, between the Returned and Services League (RSL) Club and the Central School, a memorial to Bingara’s fallen and World War 1 and 11. Since the 1960s, students from Bingara Central School, St Mary’s Catholic School and Bingara Pre-School have harvested these oranges each July. St. Mary’s Catholic School last participated in 2003 as the school closed at the end of that year.
An extensive orange tree-planting program has taken place during the past few years and the ailing Valencia trees have been replaced with navel orange trees. About 65-70 trees have been planted and now they extend along Finch Street, as well as the boundary of Gwydir Oval. One of the original Valencia orange trees remains on the street corner adjacent to the Bingara RSL Club.
In August 1999, the Bingara Historical Society published its Bingara Historical News, no. 19 as an Orange Festival Special for Bingara’s Orange Festival Commemoration Celebrations. This publication listed a program of events, nature of the festival, lists of servicemen remembered and stories about some of Bingara’s wartime volunteers.
Ron Irlam, editor of the Bingara Historical News wrote of the significance of this memorial. The trees are a living memorial to the fallen servicemen of Bingara of both world wars and subsequent international conflicts. They also remind us of the men and women who served and returned. Of particular significance is that we remember the young men who did not return to their families. He concluded his editorial by writing:
Our Orange Trees are a living memorial to these men, the trees supplement our Memorial Park and Memorial Rose Garden in a way that draws attention to the strong feelings of Bingara residents in an unique manner. There are other living memorials in other parts of Australia, but nowhere is there the unique link with the following generations of children who are an integral participating part in the ceremonial picking of the fruit, in the care and a safe guarding of the trees and the oranges. Thus the REMEMBERANCE aspects and significance of the orange trees will be carried on through future generations.
Bingara Soldiers Memorial Hall
A public meeting was held in the Bingara Council Chambers on 21 May 1921 to consider construction of a public hall to be known as Bingara Soldier’s Memorial Hall. Construction took place in 1922 and the first ball was held in aid of the hospital in March 1923.
For further detail on the building see ‘Soldiers Memorial Hall’ in the chapter entitled PUBLIC EDUCATION for CHILDREN and ADULTS.
In June 1956 the Bingara Advocate announced that an Honour Roll of men and women who enlisted in Bingara for World War II would be erected and placed alongside that of the World One Roll in the Memorial Hall. The newpaper published the names and appealed for others to contact the honorary of the Sub Branch of the Returned Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia.