the auckland city council acquired the land in the 1930s and in 1953 half the area was drained and consolidated. in the same year the tamaki ex-servicemen's women's auxiliary planted trees to commemorate the men of the district who had lost their lives during world war i and ii. unfortunately the drainage project of 1953 proved a failure because the area remained unstable and susceptible to flooding. additional drainage in 1959 made the park safe, and allowed the area to be converted into the sports fields of glover park. it is unclear whether the trees that were planted in 1953 are still the same trees present in glover park today.