Mandurah’s historical carob tree is getting a new lease on life after getting torn down by City of Mandurah removalists earlier this year.
The tree, which stood in front of the local Christ’s Church Anglican parish, was removed the day after Anzac day due to safety concerns.
The century-old carob partially collapsed in early March, and after it was inspected closely by an arborist it was determined it had lost its structural integrity and was cracking away from the stump.
The tree was planted by Private Lancel Butcher almost a century ago to honour his fallen comrades, including his brother Leonard, who was killed in France on May 3, 1917.
Following the tree’s removal, Mandurah’s Returned and Service League (RSL) members collected branches and offcuts and took them to Mandurah Woodworks to be professionally cut.
Mandurah RSL vice-president Dave Mabbs said the wood from the tree is going to be used to build a bar and decorative wooden features at the club’s new headquarters on Rouse Road in a bid to preserve the tree’s unique history.
Leftover wood could also be used to make wooden replicas of two-up pennies to give to visiting RSL branches.
Mr Mabbs and club member Barry Meakins visited the Lake Clifton mill on Wednesday morning to take measurements of the carob wood before it is sent away to dry.
They also had the chance to see saw miller Devon Websey in action cutting some of the leftover carob wood.
Once the wood has been dried and treated, it will travel back to Mandurah to be fitted at the new clubhouse.
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The Mandurah RSL branch was left in limbo earlier this year, following a long and bitter feud between RSL WA and one-time aged-care arm RSL Care over the ownership of the aged-care facilities.
It was reported last month that RSL financial reports showed the organisation divested itself of its aged-care operations in 2011, while Kevin Davidson was the chief of both RSL WA and RSL Care.
The sale was for a total of $39 million, $8 million in cash and $31 million secured by a mortgage over the aged-care properties to be repaid over 12 years.
A case was settled in December 2016, and RSL WA received compensation from the aged-care branch.
However, RSL Care still owns the land where the city of Mandurah RSL clubhouse sits on and asked the club to vacate premises before November 2017.
Following a long search for a home, the Mandurah RSL branch recently managed to purchase a new building on Rouse Road, and are currently working on the design of the new club.
However, Mandurah RSL vice-president Dave Mabbs said the historical carob tree feature would hold a prominent spot in the new bar area.