In some small but important way the mystery of the Hackett cemetery illustrates the importance of the preservation of historical documents.
In a week when the National Archives were thrown a $67 million lifeline from the federal government to preserve and protect their documents, Hackett author Chris Mobbs has revealed his own sleuthing - including at the archives - uncovered something quite remarkable about the northside suburb.
Trying to get to the bottom of the origin of the handsome stand of gums and pines on the eastern side of the Hackett Oval, Mr Mobbs discovered, by trawling documents in Trove and at the archives, the trees were likely planted by the Federal Capital Commission in the 1920s, as a screen for a future cemetery - that never happened.
Records post-1930s about the issue have not been sorted so the Hackett Community Association would like to hear from anyone with information about the trees or the cemetery.
You can email info@hackett.asn.au.
Mr Mobbs, who wrote the book Hackett: 50 years plus - Story of a North Canberra suburb, said the trees, which stretch some 500 metres, were a landmark in the suburb, but their origins had never fully been explained.
Some people thought they may have been planted when Hackett was established in 1965.
But Mr Mobbs said aerial photographs revealed the trees were already well established in the 1950s.
The ACT government had no information about the trees or why they were planted, he said.
The Hackett Community Association last year submitted a nomination for the trees to be put on the ACT Tree Register. That application is still being considered.
Jane Goffman, convener of the Dickson Resident Group, earlier this year in a chance conversation with Mr Mobbs said she had seen plans which showed the area had been sidelined for a cemetery in the 1920s.
Mr Mobbs subsequently on Trove found maps from the era showing that was indeed the case.
The National Archives revealed meeting minutes from the development committee of the Federal Capital Commission which confirmed in the 1920s its desire was to proceed first with a cemetery on the southside (which would become Woden cemetery) but a northern site be set aside and trees planted as a screen.
Mr Mobbs said the northern site would have been about 24 hectares and in an area now covered by south-east Hackett (roughly bounded by Phillip Avenue and Madigan, Grayson and Mackenzie streets).
"So this provides some very strong evidence that the Hackett Oval trees were planted as a screen for a future cemetery," he said.
"I could not find any records showing when they planted these trees and why they did not proceed with developing the north site. The best guess is that they were planted sometime in the 1930s."
The Federal Capital Commission was abolished in 1930, and that's just about where the paper trail ends. Unless someone in the community now knows more.
"Records from the 1930s haven't been sorted, so I'm hoping someone will come out and say, 'My father worked there' or did this or did that and can say when they planted them but more particularly, is when did they decide not to proceed with the cemetery?" Mr Mobbs said.
A report on the mysterious Hackett cemetery will be published soon on the Hackett Community Association website at hackett.asn.au.
