A small community says it was blindsided by the removal of a 130-year-old kurrajong tree by an electrical company.
Key points:
- Essential Energy has apologised for felling the kurrajong tree
- The company said it was unaware of the tree's significance to the community
- Residents said they were devastated by the tree's removal
Essential Energy has apologised for felling the tree, outside the Morundah Hotel in southern New South Wales, without first consulting the community.
Morundah Community Committee secretary Katie Urquhart said it had been a sad week for the town,
She said she first noticed the tree was gone while driving past the hotel on Tuesday.
Ms Urquhart said the removal was done in an "underhanded" way, while the hotel was closed.
"If we knew it had to go, we could have come to terms with the fact that it was going to happen," she said.
"It happened when there was no-one around, so it felt like it was done in the dark of night."
Ms Urquhart said the shade from the tree was welcome on hot days, with many farmers parked their utes beneath it to keep their animals cool.
"I feel that given the chance we could have had a chainsaw carver come in to make it into a monument — but we weren't given that option and now there's nothing."
Lengthy tenure
When the Morundah kurrajong tree was just a sapling, Australia had not yet become a Commonwealth, plastic was not yet invented, and Queen Victoria was still on the British throne.
Dave Fahey was the publican of the Morundah Hotel for 26 years.
He still lives in the town after the pub's sale earlier this year.
"The tree was even in front of the original hotel before it burnt down [in the 1910s]," Mr Fahey said.
"Now it's totally gone without any consultation, without any warning, nothing. It's just disappeared."
Former Morundah resident Simon Cox, who now lives in Perth, said the tree provided a place for gathering.
"So many of us, plus our children played under that tree and had endless yarns in the shade," he said.
"Hopefully someone pays a fair price for the damage, and memories, torn down."
Energy company apologises
Essential Energy has apologised to the community for removing the tree "without consideration of alternative options and without consultation with the community".
A spokesperson said the tree was identified as a safety risk to electrical assets above it and if left unattended, the tree's growth could result in unplanned interruptions and other safety concerns.
"The tree's age and significance to the local community was not recognised and was identified for removal by Essential Energy," the spokesperson said.
The power company said the final approval for the tree's removal was granted by the local council in March.
Mr Fahey, who is a councillor with the local Federation Council, and Ms Urquhart said they were unaware the approval had been granted.
"March is a long time ago, and we should have been notified," she said.
"Maybe people didn't really understand how iconic [this tree] is to the town … it made Morundah beautiful."
The Federation Council has been contacted for comment.
Essential Energy said it would work with the Morundah community to replace the tree, but Mr Fahey said the damage had been done.
"That tree's had a powerline going through it as long as the power's been on," he said.
"Nothing will bring our tree back."