Shearn Memorial Park has been known as Maylands Public Reserve and Maylands Oval.
In 1917, it was Maylands Public Reserve, a pretty well-grassed public oval with a natural elevated area for spectators. The Perth Road Board had purchased the area for 600 pounds.
Maylands Oval opened in November 1924.
In 1927, the Maylands Soccer Club asked the Perth Road Board for use of Maylands Oval on alternate Saturdays. It was decided that the Western Australian Football Association would be permitted to use the Oval for two nights a week for practice and the Soccer and lacrosse club could use the Oval one night a week.
During 1930s and 1940s, the “Rec” was a Sports Recreation Area for Maylands Primary School and the Catholic Convent School, home ground for the Mount Lawley Cricket Club, and the Central Districts Amateur Football Club (Aussie Rules) teams ages under 8 years, under 14s and under 18s and Senior team.
Football matches attracted big crowds in the 1930s. Many players from Central Districts were drafted by the East Perth WAFL club (one of the more outstanding players ever drafted to East Perth was of course Maylands boy John K Watts).
Road widening eventually made the old “Rec” too small for Senior football and this combined with the loss of their training nets in the road resumption had quite an effect on the senior Cricket Club.
In 1951, the Perth Road Board decided Maylands Oval should be renamed Shearn Park in memory of the late Mr H V Shearn, who had been the Member for Maylands in the Legislative Assembly for the 15 years prior to his death earlier in the year.
In the 1950s, schoolchildren walked from Maylands Primary straight up and over the Sixth Ave hill, past the Methodist Church down to the railway line, then stepped across the tracks and up to the park for Friday sport. This seemed a better alternative to walking to Seventh Ave and going over the Seventh Avenue Bridge.
In the 1970s, the Yokine Baptist Cricket Club in the Perth Mercantile Cricket Association played at Shearn Park.
By 2017, the City of Bayswater had added Shearn Park to the North Maylands Character Protection Area.
In 2019, Shearn Park is still used for cricket, social sport and as a dog exercise park. Spectators can still sit high above the playing level to view cricket matches at this park.
See our Shearn Memorial Park Flickr Album for digitised images and other digitised information.
Maylands Historical and Peninsula Association acknowledges the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live, and learn. We acknowledge that we tell the stories of Noongar Country and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may contain images or names of people who have passed away.