General News
25 August, 2026
Cannon family memorial unveiled
THE Cannon Memorial, as part of Cairns’ 150th anniversary celebrations, has been unveiled at the Woree racecourse.
The Cairns Historical Society and the Cairns Jockey Club partnered to install the memorial at Cannon Park recognising William Cannon and the Cannon family’s contribution to the region.
The project was initiated by society president Dr Clive Skarott, working with local historian and Cannon family descendant David Cannon.
The memorial was unveiled on 16 August 2026.
William Cannon was an early pioneer in the Cairns and Gordonvale districts.
He arrived in Cairns from northern England in 1884, when the new settlement was barely eight-years-old.
His brothers, John and Joseph, joined him in 1885. William and John established Greendale Dairy in 1885 on the land adjoining what is now Cannon Park.
They later expanded on to land at Gordonvale and were two of the eight original signatories to the Mulgrave Sugar Mill in 1895.
In 1911, William (above with his family) established a 640-acre sugar estate at White Rock.
Prior to this, he also operated the Union Jack Hotel opposite today’s Cannon Park. In 1909, William donated land adjoining Greendale Dairy to the Cairns Jockey Club, providing the club with its first permanent racecourse.
In recognition of his generosity and support of racing in Cairns, the racecourse was named Cannon Park during the 1930s. William died in 1942, but his commitment to racing in Cairns continued through his son, George Cannon, who later served as president of the Cairns Jockey Club.
