Essendon is indebted to Melbourne born Theodore Napier whose love and life was divided between Essendon and Scotland.
Around August 1919 he offered Essendon nine and a half acres of land on condition that the land be held free of buildings, devoted to the people as a picnic grounds, and all trees on the land be protected. The park was once part of the 100 acre 'Magdala' Estate created by his father, Thomas, in 1845.
Napier Park, 2002
When Napier handed over the park the estimate value of the land was 4 pound a square foot. Napier told the council that the park should be named Victory Park told the councillors were adamant that it should bear the donors name. After all, the councilors said, a new reserve in Ascot Vale was called Victory Park in honour of the First World War win.
So Napier suggested the name 'Northern Park', but the Mayor, Cr Kinnear, correctly predicted 'that a grateful public would insist on calling it Napier Park'. The council sent Napier a letter expressing 'the Council's thanks for his generous and magnificent offer', and the Town Planning Association wrote of 'the valuable gift'.
Napier Park was officially handed over in 1920.