Cockayne Memorial

Forest and Bird, Issue 107, 1 February 1953, Page 4

Cockayne Memorial

THE memorial to Dr. Leonard Cockayne, in the Otari Gardens (Wilton’s Bush) was unveiled by the Mayor of Wellington, Mr. R. L. Macalister, on 11th December.

Dame Elizabeth Gilmer, Chairman of the Parks and Reserves Committee, in opening, gave an outline of the proceedings which gave rise to the present conception of the native garden round the grave of Dr. and Mrs. Cockayne with the memorial stone at the head of it. The Mayor, after thanking the Forest and Bird Protection Society for its financial assistance, recalled the circumstances of the burial of Dr. and Mrs. Cockayne on this spot and paid a tribute to the outstanding achievements of the great botanist.

Our President, Mr. A. P. Harper, asked by the Mayor to speak, said he was paying his respects not only to one of the world’s greatest botanists but also to one who was for a time President of our Society. He quoted Dr. Cockayne’s own words “We who live in this wonderful country and love its marvellous vegetation, have set aside Sanctuary after Sanctuary, where vegetation, which Nature commenced millions of years ago, can still preserve its destiny if

unmolested by its , human enemies and the hordes of foreign plants and animals, which have been introduced. Will our descendants prize this unique heritage from the dim past’ and preserve these Sanctuaries intact?” He said this memorial should be regarded as not only to Dr. Cockayne’s honour but also as a constant reminder of his ideals and aims. He hoped that no exotic plant would be allowed, in the reserve even to the grass on the lawn.

The surroundings of the grave have been planted with native trees and plants,, and a large rockery has been incorporated, containing principally native alpine plants. The grass on the lawn, at present the only exotic vegetation, is only a temporary sward and will in time be replaced by cotula, a native ground plant largely used in New Zealand for bowling greens. The bronze plaque unveiled by the Mayor, with, on it, the names of Dr. and Mrs. Cockayne and.the last sentence of the quotation given in Mr. Harper’s speech above, is in front of the memorial stone, which, as most members will remember, was provided x by subscriptions made through our Society.