Jellicoe Park entrance back to life with new letters2 min read

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Shiny new letters now adorn the Grey Street entrance to Jellicoe Park in Onehunga, after the old letters disappeared last year.

The Onehunga Community News reported earlier this year about the archway missing almost all its letters, having been reduced to just E, I, C and E in the name ‘Jellicoe Park’. Following this, a request was made to bring the arch back to its former glory, and have its name replaced.

This was completed last month, and several local community Facebook pages were filled with comments celebrating the replaced signage, with the photo even sparking many to recall childhood trips to the park, and its famous archway.

“The process to request replacement for Jellicoe Park’s signage letters follows the same route we recommend for council assets that are broken, dirty or in need of maintenance, by reporting a problem here or calling 301 0101. This allocates the work to the correct contractor where they will complete the work or programme it, if it is a bit more complex, like creating bespoke lettering,” says Manager Area Operations – Parks and Community Facilities for Auckland Council, Marcel Morgan.

Neighbours to the park suspect the Jellicoe Park letters had been stolen over time, as some had lost metal numbers from their own letterboxes nearby, and the park signage lettering was never found.

“The new letters are made of gold anodised 6mm aluminium. We would only be speculating that the other letters were stolen, but our contractors’ sanitation crew who visit the site each morning did not come across any fallen lettering. They are a high quality durable product but have no recyclable value so are not worth stealing. They are installed using stainless pins on the rear and are drilled and epoxy glued in place,” says Marcel.