On a path beside Dumaresq Creek, where a retired geologist once walked between the university and the town, one hundred young pin oaks now stand, planted with money he set aside in his will before he died in 2020. The gift belongs to a longer habit of care, since he had already given dozens of mature trees to the same cycleway years earlier. It is the quiet kind of generosity that asks for patience, because the shade he pictured will arrive only for people not yet born to the place, or for those who are willing to wait.
Late Professor's Secret Bequest Plants 100 Pin Oaks Along Armidale Cycleway
He never told his family.
Mark
Why does this story land? It's a hundred trees.
Mimi
Because nobody knew. His family found out after he died in 2020 that he'd written the trees into his will. That's a gift made with no audience.
Mark
And it wasn't his first.
Mimi
No. He'd already donated dozens of the mature trees along the same path more than a decade ago. This finishes a job he started.
Luke
Worth noting he was a geologist, not a horticulturist. The passion for trees comes from his daughter's account, which is a family recollection, not an independent record.
Mark
Fair. What do we actually know about the cycleway itself?
Mimi
It runs along Dumaresq Creek and connects the UNE area with Armidale's CBD. He walked it often, and that's where the vision came from.
Luke
The reporting doesn't say what the bequest cost, or how many trees are surviving or what the planting schedule was. We have the count of 100 and not much else.
Mark
What about the canopy?
Mimi
His granddaughter thinks 10 to 20 years before the trees look truly amazing. That's her estimate, not a forestry forecast.
Luke
Agreed. And the council's pledge is that contractors will look after the young trees, but the story doesn't say for how long.
Le Pouls
- A bequest kept secret until death has suddenly surfaced along a busy cycle route linking UNE and the Armidale CBD.
- One hundred saplings now occupy the ground where a late professor once imagined a shaded canopy for walkers and cyclists.
- Family members have travelled to see the plantings, while the council's contractors take on the difficult early years of care.
- The trees are only at the beginning, and the shade that gives the project its meaning is still a decade or two away.
On a path beside Dumaresq Creek, where a retired geologist once walked between the university and the town, one hundred young pin oaks now stand, planted with money he set aside in his will before he died in 2020. The gift belongs to a longer habit of care, since he had already given dozens of mature trees to the same cycleway years earlier. It is the quiet kind of generosity that asks for patience, because the shade he pictured will arrive only for people not yet born to the place, or for those who are willing to wait.
One hundred young pin oaks now line the John Failes Cycleway in Armidale, and the man who paid for them never told his family he was doing it. Professor Richard Stanton, a geologist and longtime resident, died in 2020. Only afterward did his relatives learn that his will had set money aside to plant trees along the path he had walked for years.
The cycleway follows Dumaresq Creek between the University of New England and the town centre. His daughter, Marion Stanton, says he walked it often and always pictured it shaded by mature trees. He had already donated dozens of larger trees along the route more than a decade earlier, so the new oaks continue something he began long before. Though trained as a geologist, he cared deeply about trees and was active in local community life, including the Beautification of Armidale Group.
Marion and her daughter, Kate Stanton-Collins, recently travelled to see the new plantings. Stanton-Collins recalled her grandfather's belief that planting trees is for future generations, not for oneself. She expects the young oaks to look remarkable in another decade or two.
Deputy Mayor Todd Redwood called the project a fine example of one person's generosity leaving a lasting legacy, and the council has committed to caring for the saplings through their early years. What comes next is slow work: tending the young trees now, and waiting for the canopy he imagined to take shape.
One hundred young pin oaks now stand along the John Failes Cycleway in Armidale, and the man who paid for them did not tell his family he was going to. Professor Richard Stanton, a longtime Armidale resident, died in 2020. Only afterward did his relatives learn that his will included a bequest to plant trees along the path he had walked for years.
The cycleway follows Dumaresq Creek and links the University of New England area with the town's CBD. Stanton knew it well. According to his daughter, Marion Stanton, who lives in Canberra, he walked it many times from UNE into town, and he always pictured it lined with mature trees that would form a canopy over the people using it.
The new oaks are not his first contribution. He had already donated dozens of the more mature trees along the cycleway more than a decade ago, so the 100 pin oaks extend something he began long before. He was a geologist by training, but his daughter says he was passionate about trees. He was also deeply involved in Armidale community life and belonged to the Beautification of Armidale Group.
Marion Stanton and her daughter, Kate Stanton-Collins, who lives in Newcastle, travelled to Armidale recently to see the plantings. Stanton-Collins said it was fabulous to be there and watch her grandfather's vision coming together. She recalled that he always said planting trees is for future generations, not for yourself. She expects the trees to look truly amazing in another 10 to 20 years, a reminder of how long the wait for a real canopy will be.
Armidale Regional Council Deputy Mayor Todd Redwood described the project as a wonderful example of how one person's generosity can leave a lasting legacy. He said the plantings will be enjoyed by walkers, cyclists and families for decades. Trees, he said, are an investment in the future, offering shade, beauty and environmental benefits, and the 100 new oaks will make the cycleway a more attractive community asset.
The council has committed to the early years of the trees' lives. Its contractors will look after the saplings to give them the best start and help them grow into healthy, mature trees. Redwood said it was inspiring to see Stanton's passion for Armidale and its natural environment continue after his death, and that the council is proud to help bring his vision to life and honour his contribution.
What comes next is slow. The saplings need care now, and the canopy Stanton imagined is a matter of one to two decades, which is the timeline his granddaughter gave.
Citations marquantes
He always said planting trees is for the future generations, not for yourself.— Kate Stanton-Collins, granddaughter
Trees are an investment in the future.— Todd Redwood, Armidale Regional Council Deputy Mayor
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