Young Australia League
Araluen
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The Young Australia League was formed in 1905 by J.J.Simons, born in South Australia in 1882, he moved to Fremantle in his teens and after a short stint as Labor Member in the WA Legislative Assembly became a journalist eventually becoming Managing Director of Perth's Sunday Times newspaper. The League was formed as a youth movement to promote 'education through travel' and grew rapidly pursuing many activities including literary and debating societies and theatricals. In the 1920s the League built an imposing Headquarters in Murray St.,Perth and also became involved in the immigration of youths from Britain to West Australia. In 1929 the league purchased 150 acres of undeveloped bush in the hills at Roleystone some 35kms. South of Perth to develop as a holiday camp for it's members. JJ Simons named the valley 'Araluen' an aboriginal word meaning 'singing waters' in acknowledgement of the many creeks that ran through the site. Accomodation featuring local stone and timbers was built and members engaged in building roads,paths and terraces and improving water courses. One of the major landscaping projects was the "Grove of the Unforgotten" in memory of the eightyeight League members who died in WW1.Rising from the valley floor the Grove comprised eightyeight cypress pines flanking the creek that ran down the hill over several waterfalls and into a reflection pool. In 1939 the League had in excess of 50,000 member but post WW2 membership declined progressively until,in the late 1980s, Araluen and the Murray St. premises were sold to private buyers. In 1990, due to public demand, the State Govt. purchased Araluen for use as a public botanic park and the Araluen Botanic Park Foundation Inc. was formed to restore and manage the Park under the supervision of the West Australian Planning Commission.