FOR many years Eloise Atkinson visited a dirt opening on the tree-lined Remembrance Drive.
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Next to the opening was her war veteran father William Prowse’s plaque, number 2824.
Unlike the 3801 other plaques that line Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour, Mr Prowse’s plaque was without a tree.
“We used to call it Pop’s Gap,” Ms Atkinson, 85, said.
“I can’t remember a tree being there.”
The World War I veteran was more than just a number.
On Saturday, the Prowse family had their wish granted when the City of Ballarat planted a tree at the site.
Three generations of the family – children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – visited Ballarat to mark the occasion.
Mr Prowse served in the Army Medical Corps after he enlisted on November 25 in 1916.
He returned to Australia on January 3, 1919.
“He was a wonderful father and very loving,” Ms Atkinson said.
Mr Prowse spent six years living in an orphanage, between the ages of six and 12.
His father died six months before his birth.
Mr Prowse’s original tree, an oriental plane tree, was planted in 1918.
He married Helen “Nell” Swenson and had two children Bill, now 90, and Eloise.
About 14 members of the Prowse family attended the official tree planting ceremony, with some family travelling from South Australia.
City of Ballarat vegetation planning officer David Grant said 285 trees were missing from the 22-kilometre avenue.
“It could be from a combination of things, including old age and vehicle accidents,” Mr Grant said.
kara.irving@fairfaxmedia.com.au
