Norfolk's new pine avenue

Norfolk Island has got a new avenue of pines which may one day become as famous as a Pine Avenue which had to be cut down during World War II to make way for the airstrip. The destruction of the first Pine Avenue is still mourned by island residents.

But in September, 100 new pines were planted along Middlegate Road, as far as Quality Row, opposite the cenotaph, by Norfolk residents and schoolchildren. Each pine represents a year in the life of Mrs. Jemima Robinson, known as Aunt Jemima, who died earlier this year, close to her 101st birthday, and the new pine avenue is in memory of her.

Aunt Jemima was born on Norfolk, descendant of some of the first Pit cairners, and evidence of the regard in which she was held was the way in which the islanders laboured all day to plant the pines. The last pine, near the cenotaph, was formally planted by Aunt Jemima’s daughter, Mrs. Syl via Nobbs, in a short ceremony at tended by the Administrator, Air Commodore Dalkin, who said: “Each pine in this avenue will be leading back to these walls to good times and bad times and happiness, to the day when Aunt Jemima was born. They will point truly to the future through out the next 100 years. I charge the foresters of this island to nurture them carefully and to replace any that may die. I dedicate this avenue to Mrs. Jemima Robinson”.—Mar garet Hazzard.

Aunt Jemima, on her 100th birthday.

Mrs. Sylvia Nobbs, plants the last tree, with the Administrator and Mrs. Dalkin at left.