In The Herald of February 4, 1928 Mr H. O Allan* looked back on his 51 years in the Lands Department in the Victorian Public Service. As The Herald described the article - Mr H. O. Allan, who has just retired from the position of Under Secretary of the Lands Department, after half a century of service, has in this special article recalled for readers of The Herald some of the many stories, mostly gay, with which his memory is stored. Yes, it was indeed described thus, and is a perfect example of how our language had changed over the years. However, the important piece of his recollections for us is his tribute to our friend, Carlo Catani.
The Herald February 4, 1928
I cannot end this short article without paying a tribute to the late Carlo Catani. I took part with him in starting the St Kilda Foreshore Trust. I did the legal, literary and finance part of the job and he, a landscape genius if ever there was one, the engineering work together with the beautification. What a man! His monuments are everywhere - at Buffalo, Alexandra Gardens, St Kilda, Donna Buang. As pace-maker to the municipalities he is responsible for much beautification they subsequently put in hand. His reclamation work at Koo Wee Rup and at Carrum have added wealth to the country. He saw possibilities to which others were blind. It is well that his works are his memorials. No others has been proposed by his fellow citizens, who have honored less worthy men.
*Mr H. O. Allan was Henry Octavius Allan, the son of John McMahon Allan and Caroline Farrell (sometimes listed as O'Farrell). He was born in 1862 in Warrnambool. He died in St Kilda on July 10, 1930. He was cremated at the 'new Melbourne General Cemetery at Fawkner' according to an obituary in The Argus.
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