Gavin Livesey Memorial Garden
18.02.2014 - 03.10.2025
Before we begin, please understand that Gavin is a cat.
Not just any cat, of course — Gavin was everything you could want in a feline companion: calm, slightly judgy, perfectly photogenic, and blissfully uninterested in doing anything destructive. A true Hilton gentleman.
He didn’t start life as Gavin, though. Originally named Milo, he had already been through three homes by the time he came to live with me at ten months old. I was his fourth owner — and while it was love at first sight for me, he was, in classic Gavin fashion, politely unimpressed.
Gavin lived a well-travelled life, moving from Mt Lawley to Highgate before finally settling in Hilton. And it was here that he found his true happiness. Gone were the balconies and city traffic — replaced by a lush garden, sunshine, and a new best friend, John (our neighbour’s cat).
As the eldest of our four human-and-animal children, Gavin carried himself with the unmistakable air of an eldest son — patient, proud, and only occasionally put out by the chaos around him. He tolerated his younger siblings with mild contempt, but none more so than his dog brother, Roy. Their relationship could best be described as one of respectful distance, punctuated by the occasional withering glare.
Through it all, Gavin remained steadfastly himself: placid, unbothered, and faintly superior. The children adored him, and he endured their affection with quiet resignation — unless food was involved, of course.
He was a calm presence in a busy household, a creature of grace and good manners, and a daily reminder that sometimes, doing absolutely nothing is a perfectly acceptable way to live. Gavin didn’t ask for much, but somehow, he gave us everything.
Our Story
So why a memorial garden?
What makes Gavin so special?
Well, this all began as a mother’s way of helping her young children grieve the loss of their first pet, and their first real encounter with death.
On the very day that Gavin suddenly passed, we had begun work on the new verge regeneration project at Rennie Crescent South and Paget Street. It was the school holidays, so the kids were with us, shovels in hand, helping shift dirt.
Our seven-year-old was especially worried. He wanted to know what would happen to Gavin now, where he would go, and how he’d ever be able to see him again without a headstone or a special place.
So, as mothers tend to do, I made up a story, something gentle and palatable to help ease his sadness. I told him that the garden we were creating that day could be for Gavin, that we could make it his special place. It was almost an offhand comment at first, but it stuck.
Over the next few weeks, as the verge garden came to life, so too did the story. The idea spread amongst the Gardens, Verges & Trees committee, who found it funny, touching, and just the right amount of sentimental.
Soon enough, The Gavin Livesey Memorial Garden became the affectionate nickname for the project, and, as these things do, it took on a life of its own. It now has its own place on Google Maps, and, fittingly, its own page here on our website.
If you’ve stumbled across this page, or perhaps walked past the garden yourself, we invite you to pause for a moment and think of your own beloved pets - especially those no longer with us.
If you’d like, you can write their name on a small rock and place it carefully among the plants.
Maybe, over time, this space will grow into something even more beautiful, a shared garden of memories, love, and the pets who made our homes complete.
Meet Gavin
