A historic Mandurah tree planted by a World War I digger almost a century ago has been torn down the day after Anzac Day after the City of Mandurah determined it was a safety hazard.
The carob tree at the Christ’s Church Anglican parish was planted by Private Lancel Butcher to honour his fallen comrades, including his brother, Leonard, who was killed in action in France on May 3, 1917 and is buried in Villers-Bretonneux.
The tree partially collapsed at the beginning of March and was inspected by an arborist who determined it had lost its structural integrity and was cracking away from the stump.
City-subcontracted tree removalists pulled down the tree on Wednesday afternoon.
Branches and offcuts from the tree were collected by members of Mandurah’s Returned and Service League (RSL) and taken to Mandurah Woodworks to dry.
The RSL had raised concerns about the tree and another which was also planted by Private Butcher on Creery Street.
A spokewoman for the City of Mandurah said the parish had sought permission to remove the tree after receiving advice it could not be saved.
“The City has granted approval for its removal based on the findings and recommendations of a qualified arborist who undertook a quantified tree risk assessment,” she said.
“With the amount of severe defects identified throughout the structure of the tree, it was been found to be hazardous and removal is required.”
A spokesman from Christ’s Church said at the time of the tree’s collapse that they maintained the trees as much as possible, and there had been issues of trucks and large vehicles clipping older branches.
“We trim the trees all the time to prevent this, but clearly we couldn’t have stopped this,” he said.
“It’s sad, too, because it’s a 100 year-old tree, it’s a big part of Mandurah.”