Give me a sign

THE stretch of Mount Dandenong Tourist Road between Sherbrooke and Clarkmont roads should be absolutely signposted as ‘Anzac Avenue’.
As a child living there in the 1970s, I could never work out why it wasn’t?
It was our official postal address?
Until about 1980, when, for some reason, we became just another part of the tourist road?
When my parents bought their property in 1971, in which they still reside, the chestnut trees were still proud and glorious.
Along with the stone memorial on the edge of Sherbrooke Forest, the Avenue, and its significance, was well respected.
But, every autumn, the carloads did come.
They did bash the hell out of the trees, parked wherever they wanted, often dangerously.
This caused much angst to the local police, who were mostly unable to control them.
I remember Dad, on more than one occasion, chasing people off our property, because we had a lovely, productive ‘specimen’ in our front yard.
As time went on the ‘electricity people’ did indeed ‘chop the life out’ of these trees, which caused the demise of so many.
It would be wonderful, especially after the restoration of the monument in this centenary year, if Anzac Avenue was finally signposted as such.
This would give recognition and respect to those it was intended to honour, thanks to those who worked so hard to create it, and, hopefully, the sense of pride and awe that I had as a child, to the kids growing up there now.
Liz Arnold (nee Dunne),
Emerald (ex ‘Anzac Avenue’, Ferny Creek).