Park name chosen - Annie Dorrington Park

The Council at its meeting on 23 April 2019 resolved to instruct Administration to apply to the State Government's Geographic Names Committee to name the reserve Annie Dorrington Park.

Annie Dorrington is a person who has a significant historical connection to the site. Apart from her winning entry in the Flag Competition of 1901, her legacy to us is the one hundred and twenty-four exquisite wildflower paintings held by the Art Gallery of WA, four of which are currently displayed in the WA section of the Gallery.

Annie's highlights and contributions to Western Australia:

• Annie is a highly-regarded painter of watercolours of local wildflowers, and her works were exhibited at many international exhibitions.
• Was born in 1866, the daughter of Richard and Sarah Whistler of Berkshire, England. After her father died Annie emigrated to Melbourne in 1890 with her mother and eight siblings.
• Married Charles Dorrington in 1892 St Albans Church in Armadale, Victoria. They moved across to the West in 1895, where Charles was initially manager of the Swan River Shipping Company and later shire clerk at Mundijong. Annie found great beauty in her new environment - especially its wildflowers.
• By 1901, Annie was exhibiting widely, with watercolours in the Western Australian pavilion at the 1900 Paris International Exhibition, the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition, the 1904 St. Louis International Exposition, and the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition, London
• In 1901, Annie Dorrington entered the competition for the design of a new Australian flag, and was named one of five winners who had all submitted similar designs (nearly 1% of the population at the time entered the competition)
• Annie taught private painting classes at home from 1902 to 1906, advertising them in the local newspaper.
• She suffered depression, had treatments at Claremont Mental Hospital in 1908 and again in 1918
• The Art Gallery of Western Australia purchased a collection of 128 of her water colours in 1936
• Her unmarked grave at Karrakatta Cemetery was discovered by the Australian National Flag Association (WA) Inc. who erected a monument in 1999.
• The restored Montgomery House has recognised her art contribution and displays several of her paintings.
• Annie is recognised in the Karrakatta Historical Walk Trail No. 21

To view the resolution, please visit the City's website (Council Meetings) (TS08.19, Page 26 of the PDF).

Further updates will be provided following a response from the Geographic Names Committee.