The name Francis Octavius Nixon now greets visitors to Nixon Park at Oxley, where a recently erected sign recognises a Sherwood man whose enthusiasm for trees helped shape one of Brisbane’s oldest botanical collections.
Long before a park carried his name, Nixon was campaigning for native trees, helping push for the creation of Sherwood Arboretum and opening his own home to the people working to make it happen. A century later, his conservation legacy has returned to local attention as a debate unfolds over the future of part of the arboretum’s historic Kauri Avenue.
The Man Behind Nixon Park
Born in Wagga Wagga in 1875, Nixon later lived at Avonleigh in Sherwood with his family. He became president of the Brisbane Naturalist Club and was involved in the Save-the-Trees Campaign, eventually serving as its secretary. He was also secretary of the Brisbane Timber Merchants Association in 1917.
His interest in native trees extended beyond committees and campaigns. Nixon planted native species around the Sherwood Arboretum area and established a row of Queensland kauris in Jerrold Street, Sherwood.
His most enduring local association, however, came through the campaign for an arboretum beside the Brisbane River.
Government Botanist Cyril Tenison White had recommended the idea of a Brisbane arboretum in 1922, and Nixon promoted Sherwood as the place for it. The riverside land had been purchased by Sherwood Shire Council for park purposes, with the site settled upon in 1924 through the efforts of Nixon, botanical and forestry figures and local representatives.
Nixon’s home became part of the story. On 1 November 1924, Queensland Governor and Queensland Forestry Association president Sir Matthew Nathan attended a meeting at Avonleigh with forestry representatives and Sherwood Shire councillors to discuss the proposed arboretum.
Sherwood Arboretum officially opened on 21 March 1925. Sir Matthew Nathan, Brisbane’s first Lord Mayor William Jolly and other citizens planted 72 Queensland kauri pines along what became Sir Matthew Nathan Avenue, with each tree carrying the name of a person involved in the historic planting.
BCC later named Nixon Park at Oxley after Francis Nixon. The park contains established native trees, including hoop pines and forest red gums.
A Century-Old Legacy Meets A Present-Day Dispute
Nixon’s name has resurfaced as plans for the southern section of Sir Matthew Nathan Avenue face opposition. His great-granddaughter, Sue Dobrenov, drew attention to the connection in a local community post on 23 September. She said the new Nixon Park sign celebrating her great-grandfather’s vision for trees and green space had appeared while BCC was pursuing a proposal to remove and replace kauris at the arboretum he helped establish.
The proposal would progressively remove 35 Queensland kauris over three years while retaining seven assessed as being in good condition. Weeping Paperbarks, Melaleuca leucadendra, are proposed as replacements because of conditions at the southern end of the avenue, where a high water table, flooding and soil salinity have affected tree health.
Not all of the existing kauris are original 1925 trees, and some have previously been replaced. Local commenter Malcolm Mackenzie argued that replacing struggling specimens with a species better suited to the site was a practical approach. Dobrenov has instead encouraged support for an e-petition calling for dead kauris to be replaced like-for-like, further investigation of non-destructive options and a dedicated management plan for surviving trees.
The petition closes on 19 November 2026, bringing a new chapter to a local tree story Nixon helped begin more than 100 years ago.
Published 28-September-2026
