The Story of the Lone Pine tree at Walkerston's Anzac Park

WALKERSTON'S LONE PINE


As we congregate at Walkerston's Anzac Park each Anzac Day, and each Remembrance Day, to commemorate the fallen, the history of the pine tree planted near the Memorial Gate would perhaps be of some interest.




During the first World War’s Gallipoli campaign - in which Australian troops took part – one battle involved the capture of a ridge, which became known as Lone Pine Ridge because the Turkish troops cut down all the trees to cover their trenches, leaving just one standing – a lone pine.
The Australian Forces captured Lone Pine, albeit at a huge cost of 2000 Australian dead and 7000 Turkish. An Australian soldier, whose brother had been killed during this battle, collected one of the pine cones at Lone Pine and sent it to his mother, Mrs McMullen of Inverell NSW, in memory of his brother.

 

This cone was stored away until 1928 when Mrs McMullen was able to grow two seedlings from it. One was presented to the City of Inverell, and the other to the Parks Gardens in Canberra, where it was planted at the Australian War Memorial in October 1934 with the Duke of Gloucester officiating.Walkerston’s pine tree – an Aleppo Pine ‘Pinus halepensis’, a tree found in the eastern Mediterranean region – is a descendant of the tree at the Australian War Memorial, which today is over 20 metres high, and is a living memorial to all who have died in battles of war.
This seedling was planted on August 12th, 2006 by the then Member for Dawson, Deanne Kelly.







Aleppo Pine - Pinus helapensus
Robert O'Brien
more information @  www.wildlifetrusts.org
                               

Baker's Creek Rehabilitation - Walkerston

Removing the extensive mass of Singapore Daisy from a 50 metre section of Bakers Creek was a mission in itself (over a 2 year period), but trying to establish replacement vegetation is becoming another mission. 

Planting 80 Lomandra plants (in two lots six months apart) and getting them through the first twelve months has been and still is challenging. There are the seasonal variations of weather from flooding to this long dry hot period of October/November. 

Another problem that needed to be addressed was overcoming the habits of the resident male ‘scratching’ Brush Turkey. Fluctuating weather conditions are expected but a special guard had to be made and staked flat around each plant to guarantee it wouldn’t be dug out by the turkey, who regularly works a large mound close by.

But the most recent event has been most annoying. Three local boys decided to spend one Sunday afternoon fishing in the creek and because there was a ‘bank’ to actually fish from (the area of land that I was trying to rehabilitate), that is where they chose. I went and spoke with them about avoiding the plants and about not leaving any rubbish behind, but unfortunately neither of these requests was met. But overall minimal long term damage has been caused by this isolated incident.

Now waiting for a really good soaking rain event, the 40 most recent Lomandra plants (and also 20 Vetiva Grass plants on trial) seem to be hanging in quite well.

Daryl Barnes.

22/11/2014.