Nixon, Francis Octavius (1875–1955)

Born Wagga Wagga, New South Wales on 4 September 1875 (NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration No. 20884/1875); died Brisbane, Queensland on 2 October 1955 (Qld BDM No.1955/B010189).

Mr Francis Octavius Nixon, who resided at "Avonleigh" in Sherwood, Brisbane, was one of the movers behind the establishment of Sherwood Forest Park and Arboretum. This includes the Sir Matthew Nathan Avenue of 72 Agathis robusta trees, which were planted to mark the arboretum's official opening on Saturday 21st March 1925 by Sir Matthew Nathan and Archbishop Duhig as well as other prominent citizens of Brisbane. After the planting the dignataries all retired to Francis Nixon's home for refreshments.

Francis Nixon was the President of the Brisbane Naturalist Club and was involved in the formation of 'Save the Trees' Campaign and had planted a row of Agathis robusta in Jerrold St, Sherwood (which were large trees in 2005). In 1917 he was Secretary of the Brisbane Timber Merchants Association.

Nixon also planted a variety of native trees around the Sherwood Arboretum Area and it is a pleasure to see rare Queensland trees growing there since 1925.

The Brisbane City Council named Nixon Park, Oxley, after him. The park contains large Araucaria cunninghamii and Eucalyptus tereticornis trees.

(Obituary is in "The Brisbane Telegraph", Monday, October 3rd, 1955, Page 16.)

Sources: Pers.Comm.: Noel Hall, Botanic Gardens Researcher, 2005, with some corrections subsequently made online [incl. birth date and location, spelling of species names]
Birth notice, Wagga Wagga Advertiser newspaper, 4 Sept. 1875, p. 2. Accessible online at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/101876266
New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages records online, https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search
Sherwood Arboretum Heritage page, https://sherwoodarboretum.com.au/archives/19