A piece of history to say ‘Thank-you’

Published on 12 March 2015

During TC Marcia, 14 of the heritage listed  trees from the Bunya Pine Avenue at the entrance to the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens were destroyed after standing since 1873.

To mark the significant loss of the Region’s most inherent landmarks, platters made of Bunya Pine from the Avenue have been carefully crafted as gifts to acknowledge those who stood out during the recovery.

The Rockhampton Woodworkers Guild were assigned to the special task of making these commemorative gifts after receiving a call from Rockhampton Region Mayor Margaret Strelow.

“The volunteers at the Woodworkers Guild have done an incredible job carving 35 platters in just three days so we can present these to our outstanding recovery helpers,” Mayor Strelow said.

“It is extremely upsetting to have lost some of these magnificent trees which stand as the gateway to one of the greatest regional gardens in the country.

“It is with great pleasure that we can award our volunteers and community members with this piece of history, to mark an historical event which has undoubtedly made our community ties stronger,” she said.

Mayor Strelow and Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove will present the Bunya Pine gifts at tomorrow night’s official thank-you ceremony between 5.30-6.30pm at the Road to Recovery event.

The Bunya Pine platters have also been engraved to read:

Bunya Pine Avenue, consisting of 64 Bunya Pine (Araucaria Bidwillii) trees, was planted in 1873 to mark the entry into the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens. 

On 20 February 2015, Tropical Cyclone Marcia took down 14 of the Heritage Listed trees from Bunya Pine Avenue.

This gift was made by Rockhampton Woodworkers Guild Inc. from the wood of one of the trees from Bunya Pine Avenue