Susan Loudon, one of the organisers, said she was delighted with the day.

“The response and support is very heartening”, she said.

The supporters of preserving the existing avenue of trees are fervently against the Roads and Traffic Authority’s (RTA) proposal to widen the road for safety reasons, by removing the eastern line of trees and replanting another line from the same stock further east, as well as putting up some form of memorial acknowledging the service of 34 men and 2 women from the area who served in World War One.

The group was informed of the history of the avenue, and say they believe some of the desert ash trees planted during the 1920s have another 50 years to live.

Susan Loudon says they have a strong message to promote.

“We want to create a safe memorial avenue, retain and maintain the original trees, reduce the speed limit if possible to 50 km/h and upgrade the road without removing the trees”, she said.

Susan also says there has been a definite response by drivers passing through O’Connell since the issue of the memorial has been publicised.

“We have found many people have been slowing down in a sort of self-imposed speed limit, which is quite touching to observe”, she said.

Susan also believes there to be much less rubbish along the avenue.

The future of the trees is still undecided. At the Oberon Council meeting on the 13th of March, it was noted that the RTA is currently preparing a presentation about widening the road and replacing the eastern line of trees. The Oberon Council has not accepted any RTA proposal to destroy the trees.