Charles Weston , born Thomas Charles George Weston (14 October 1866 – 1 December 1935) was an Australian

horticulturist Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

and was responsible for the

afforestation Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no recent tree cover. There are three types of afforestation: natural Regeneration (biology), regeneration, agroforestry and Tree plantation, tree plan ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. Weston was born in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, England. He trained as a horticulturist in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and migrated to New South Wales in 1896. He was employed as a gardener at Admiralty House in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

from 1898 to 1908 and as the superintendent at Federal Government House, Sydney until 1912. He managed the State Nursery, at Campbelltown between 1912 and 1913, and was appointed officer-in-charge of afforestation, Canberra in that year. He held that position until 1926. In Canberra, in collaboration with the city's designer

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and Leeton, New So ...

, he carried out extensive scientific breeding trials to increase the number of species that might grow in Canberra. He also established the first plantation forest on Mount Stromlo. Nearly 1.2 million trees were put in between 1921 and 1924. Weston Park, a large park in Canberra, is named in his honour, as is a eucalypt, and a creek, street, and district of the Capital. In 2015 it was announced that the name of a new primary school in the Molonglo Valley district of the Australian Capital Territory would also commemorate his name. He died in Turramurra and his ashes were scattered in front of Old Parliament House in Canberra.''Exploring the ACT and Southeast New South Wales'', J. Kay McDonald, Kangaroo Press, Sydney, 1985, p. 41

References

*Bright Sparcs
Weston, Thomas Charles George (1866–1935)
*

Notes

External links

1866 births 1935 deaths British emigrants to colonial Australia Weston, Thomas Charles Weston, Thomas Charles Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire {{Australia-scientist-stub