A Gift to Ku-ring-gai
Rofe Park is an area of natural native bushland of approximately 50 acres (20.23 hectares) gifted to the people of Ku-ring-gai by the Rofe family in 1927. Located on the northern shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The park is part of an unbroken three-kilometre-long stretch of bushland (Sheldon Forest, Rofe Park and Comenarra Creek Reserve) that connects the Pacific Highway with Lane Cove National Park in South Turramurra.
Location
“ROFE PARK – TURRAMURRA
This park comprises an area of 50 acres of natural bushland. On its northern boundary Warragal Street comes to an end, and it is bounded on the south by Mimosa Street. The area was advertised by the Crown as Lot 2 on the 4th February 1857 and was selected by William Gannon. A land grant was issued to him on the 5th September 1877.
Following his death, his widow, Helena Gannon sold the land to Winnie Edith Rofe on the 20th July 1904. She subsequently declared that she held it in trust for her husband, Thomas Ernest Rofe and the two of them joined in a transfer of the land to the Council of the Shire of Ku-ring-gai on the 13th April 1927. At the same time the Council declared it held the land “upon Trust for the public as a Public Park and reserve for the preservation of natural fauna and flora”.
Mr. & Mrs. Rofe lived in “Neringla”, Woonona Avenue, Wahroonga in a two-storied house which still stands and is now used as a lodging-house. They had three daughters and one son, Ernest, who was rather delicate – he died as the result of a motor-bike accident just before his 21st birthday.
It has always been felt by the Rofe family that this park, with its large area of interesting native bush and unusual rock formations, had been dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Rofe as a memorial to their only son, Ernest.
Mr. Rofe was at one time an alderman on Ku-ring-gai Council, and was one of the Trustees of the Ku-ring-gai Chase in 1932-33. He was a public-spirited man and was very interested in Music – he had a piano and organ in his Wahroonga home. He died in 1945.
At the Mimosa Street entrance to the Park Recreation grounds have been formed and a net-ball oval made – also a track for horse riding.
It is to be hoped that Council will not develop any more of this natural area as playing fields.
Information obtained from Mr. Percy Rofe, Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council, Sands Directory 1910.”
Source;
The Historian Official, Journal of the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society, Vol 5-8, Page 8, 1976 – 1979
The public philanthropy and care for the environment shown by the Rofe family is rare in our society.
The centenary of the opening of Rofe Park is on 24th May 2027.
See here for Rofe Park’s History
Coral fungus Ramaria formosa by John Martyn