Two new commemorative signs installed by the City of Gosnells at Oak Tree Court in Langford honour the Spencer family, whose name carries historical significance in the area.
The Spencer name is a familiar one in the City, having inspired the naming of Spencer Road, which connects Burslem Drive in Thornlie with Nicholson Road in Langford.
Charles and Elizabeth Spencer were among the early settlers of the Swan River Colony, having first arrived at Cockburn Sound on 5 August 1829.
They settled along the Canning River in the 1830s and were granted land in the current suburb of Langford in 1852.
Eight brass plaques had originally been erected by Spencer family descendants on a granite memorial at Oak Tree Court in 1979, but the plaques went missing in 2020.
As a descendent of Charles and Elizabeth Spencer, unveiling the new signs on Monday 5 August – the 195th anniversary of the family’s arrival to Australia – held personal significance for Mayor Lynes.
Mayor Lynes is a descendent of Charles and Elizabeth’s sixth daughter, Mary, who married Richard Tonkin in 1864, in Fremantle.
Richard was a carpenter before moving to Serpentine, where he was granted a lease on land on the banks of the Serpentine River and became an orchardist.
“It is such an honour to see the commemorative signs installed after the original plaques were stolen in 2020,” Mayor Lynes said.
“The Spencer family played a huge role in establishing the area that we now know as Langford, and it’s important that we honour their legacy so that current and future local residents can read about their history.”
At the existing granite monument, the City has replaced the eight original brass plaques with a large sign that explains the Spencer family’s history and connection to the local area.
There is also a second that illustrates the Spencer family tree.
Caption – Spencer family descendants City of Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes, Glenis Cruickshank and Valerie Fieldgate, with Freeman of the City of Gosnells Patricia Morris, City of Gosnells Councillors Diane Lloyd, Peter Abetz and Glenn Dewhurst, and Member for Cannington Bill Johnston with one of the new signs telling the story of the Spencer family installed at Oak Tree Court in Langford.
Caption – Spencer family descendents Georgia Teale, City of Gosnells Mayor Terresa Lynes, Glenis Cruickshank and Valerie Fieldgate find their ancestors on the Spencer family tree recently installed at Oak Tree Court in Langford
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